


L'Étoile du Matin

by Bebec



Series: In the beginning [1]
Category: Lucifer (TV)
Genre: Action & Romance, Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angel Powers, Angst and Humor, Car Accidents, Deckerstar - Freeform, Demons, Developing Relationship, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Past Lives, Romantic Gestures, Season/Series 01, Sexual Humor, Surprise Ending
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-17
Updated: 2017-07-24
Packaged: 2018-10-20 01:46:28
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 20
Words: 57,227
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10652406
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bebec/pseuds/Bebec
Summary: A handsome Devil badly injured to take care of. A deserted street surrounded by dangerous individuals. No sign of rescue....What could gone wrong? COMPLETEPart 2 coming soon.





	1. Bloody Hell

**Author's Note:**

> Hi!  
> Another fiction translated from my original story "The Morningstar" (available on fanfiction net in both language)  
> Enjoy :)  
> The events are between S01x10 and S01x11.  
> Let a little comment if you like it :)

Lucifer sighed for the thousandth time, which had the gift of annoying Chloe for the thousandth time. The detective shook her head, resigned : why should she hope for a little maturity and patience from him? She slowed down the car and took the first right, peering through the deserted and poorly maintained streets. Piles of rubbish littered almost all the sidewalks, rats fleeing under the gutters, frightened by the headlights of the car. Apart from the frequent and insistent sighs of her partner and the purring of the engine, there reigned a ghostly calm. Ghostly. It was the appropriate word. This part of L.A. had been abandoned for decades to the homeless, street gangs and...rats. Seeing the general condition of the neighborhood, it was hard to doubt: broken windows, garbage in abundance, parasites...

  
Chloe was on her guard. It was just an apparent calm. After the thousand-and-one sigh to her right, the young woman tightened her hands a little more around the wheel and strove to calm.

  
" _Yes._..Lucifer....Something to say ? "

  
She quickly glanced at the latter. Lucifer Morningstar was certainly seductive, charming, smart sometimes...He couldn't help but pull her out of her hinges. She was convinced that he was enjoying it. Lucifer wore his usual Prada suit with an immaculate white shirt. His Louboutin shoes patted nervously inside the car.

  
He sat up in his seat and glared at her :

  
" May I know why I'm not allowed to drive **_my_** own car ? ", he exclaimed, his British accent amplified by his frustration.

  
" It was your idea, I remind you...Idea not too stupid for once, by the way...", whispered the detective, peering through the dark path in which they were engulfed.

  
Lucifer's black eyes flashed and he crossed his arms on his chest.

  
" My ideas are always grandiose, Detective. Even if you don't want to admit it...However, it didn't seem to me to have suggested that **_you_** take the wheel of my car ! "

  
Chloe sighed in turn. She accelerated, re-explaining him, exasperated :

  
" It's not for pleasure, Lucifer...We must serve as bait, remember ? This gang apparently only targets luxurious cars in the vicinity of this neighborhood. There is no more luxurious and excessive than you and your car...You're not a cop. I am. That's why I'm driving the car and you don't! Understood?! "

  
Lucifer rolled his eyes and passed a hand through his dark hair, agitated by the gentle breeze. Chloe gave him a sideways glance. How such a handsome man could be so immature? This feigned immaturity or not had its charm : Lucifer without childishness wouldn't be Lucifer, wouldn't it ? But the moment was badly chosen to bear his usual whims.

  
" At least I have the merit of being luxurious to your eyes, Detective..." , he said, his dark eyes turned towards the ghostly landscape. " I wouldn't deserve my title of Prince of Darkness if I didn't live in accordance with my rank...Humility and poverty don't go hand in hand with the Devil, isn't it ? "

  
The detective couldn't help smiling. His identity delirium was no longer really a problem for her : all that was part of the character. After all, the Devil was a powerful figure, free from all control that his own. Pure freedom, pleasures, no taboo...yes. The Devil was perfectly suited to Lucifer's character. The fact that it was from his imagination mattered little. Lucifer was an acceptable incarnation of the Devil himself. The latter mechanically caressed the jewel around his right ring finger.

  
" This subterfuge would be more plausible if **_I_** drove...", he sighed, looking up and down the detective.

  
" Should I understand that I'm not luxurious enough for you ? "

  
" Oh no...no ! You are very luxurious for me...", he exclaimed, a nasty smile rising on his lips. " But not your outfit, unfortunately...You smell _cop_ ten kilometers away..."

  
Chloe was about to reply when she thought see on the road – a few hundred yards – a kind of line with silvery reflections, occupying the entire width of the road.

  
_"What th....? "_

  
Lucifer kept duplicating nonsense, but she hardly listened to him. Her blood froze in her veins and her eyes widened in terror.

  
_Nails..._

  
At the speed at which they drove, she couldn't stop in time. She hardly pressed on the brake pedal, hoping to change something to the inevitable. Lucifer clung to the dashboard of the car, swearing at night :

  
**_"BLOODY HELL !! "_ **


	2. Lucifer

**_Lucifer_**  

_"_ _I'm_ _not_ _here_ _now_ _,_ _please_ _leave_ _a message and_ _I'll_ _call_ _you_ _back",  wanted to reply Lucifer._  

But he would have been unable to do so at that particular moment. He literally no longer felt anything. He would have liked to speak, scream, yell or even whisper a sharp reply to that bloody voice which repeated tirelessly his name. Nothing came. There were only darkness and that voice. A familiar voice, seemed to him. Usually soft and melodious. At this moment, it seemed hysterical, anxious.  

Why ?  

Lucifer didn't bloody know!  

 

\-------------------------

 

**_Lucifer_**  

This damned voice – at first deafened by the thickness of nothingness – seemed to gain power over time until became a shrill cry. Similar to nails on a blackboard. It was painful. Unpleasant. Being the Devil, Lucifer Morningstar appreciated since the beginning of time the principle of pain. In all its forms. He liked to inflict it to the monsters condemned to roast in Hell. His home. To the dismay of these unfortunates. But here...Now...He underwent it. Him. Alone. Powerless. And Lucifer – though intrigued by this new sensation since the detective shot him – was really not in the mood to endure this inconvenience.  

He tried to move but – once again – nothing obeyed him. Nor his eyelids. Nor his legs or some other part of his anatomy.  Lucifer was simply paralyzed in this strange dark space.  

**_LUCIFER! OPEN YOUR EYES, DAMMIT !_**  

The distress and pressing tone of this voice had the effect of a bomb.  

The stinging pain in his right leg.  the cold wind passing under his shirt.  A ferrous liquid in the mouth.  The hardness of the asphalt and the cutting edge of the pieces of glass against his raw back.  All this information hit him in full force. Disoriented, Lucifer tried to take a deep breath but only succeeded in producing a pitiful groan and spitting blood.  Each inspiration was painful, burning the inside of his lungs.    
His eyelids were as heavy as lead. A very strange and unpleasant sensation. They finally obeyed him after a few seconds.  Or was it minutes ? He no longer have the notion of time. Just that of pain. _His_ pain. He thought distinguish in the fog the contours of a face leaning over his. Lucifer narrowed his eyes, lost. His vision cleared up and he was relieved to be able to put a name on this face. 

_Chloe._  

The face of the latter was dotted with multiple scratches without gravity. Dried blood plastered part of her hair against her temple. She seemed to be doing relatively well. Lucifer plunged his onyx gaze into her anxious grey eyes. Why anxious ? He moved his head very slowly to look around and understand the situation.  

Lucifer was lying on the road, his precious car – now transformed into a shapeless metallic carcass – resting with all its weight on his right leg. His foot was locked to mid-thigh under his late car, the rest of his leg firmly trapped under the passenger seat.  

_" H_ _ence the pain in the leg..."_ , he thought, still groggy.  

He might have been a celestial being – formerly celestial more exactly -, receiving a car a few tons on the leg was very unpleasant. Especially when you were closed to a human who could cause your mortality in a snap of fingers.  

The detective patted Lucifer's cheek with insistence.  

" Reopen your eyes, Lucifer! Stay conscious, God damn it ! " 

He wasn't conscious of having closed his eyes. He opened them again and fixed his troubled gaze on the detective, annoyed.  

" D...Don't you...dare...calling for **_H_** _im_ , De...Detective..." 

His voice was only a raucous and painful breath. Talk made him suffer. Also breathe.  Chloe let out a sigh of relief quickly followed by a nervous laugh.  

" Sorry...That's had the merit of keeping you awake, admit it! "  

Lucifer didn't reply. He was too exhausted for that. Stay conscious required a lot of energy.  

" We had to move, Lucifer! I heard them coming! ", she continued, looking away. " We had to release your leg under this heap of scraps! " 

Lucifer stood up with his forearms. This simple movement caused horrible discharges of pain in his bruised leg and he let out a cry.  

" They're here! ", he thought  he heard at the corner of the street, a hundred meters of their position.  

Chloe had also heard them. She quickly pulled out her gun and hid behind the wreck, all her senses alert. Lucifer – still stuck – stretched as fast as he could on the asphalt and glass debris.  He quickly closed his eyes and stood still. Death was a comedy very easy to simulate considering his general state. He struggled against the darkness of the unconsciousness which threatened to engulf him at every moment.  

_" Stay_ _conscious...Stay...Conscious..."_ , he repeated himself.  

The steps became clearer. Lucifer froze.  

Mostly...Stay still. 

He held his breath.  

_" Aim well, Detective! "_  

"He's dead, you think ? " 

It was an apparently apprehensive teenager. He was a few yards away from Lucifer, not daring to approach.  

" What do you think ?! ", replied a second individual in a hoarse, disdainful voice. "Haven't you seen him ? He isn't a human being if he's still alive! "  

_" I'm the Devil, actually..."_  

The two  imbeciles approached him. Lucifer simply stopped breathing. A strong, rough hand came to feel his carotid artery.  Lucifer strained to pull these fingers away with his teeth. He doubted strongly that he had the strength to do so anyway. Two gun shots resounded in the night and the ignoble caress along his neck ceased at last.  

Lucifer gently opened his eyes and fell face to face with one of the two armed douches – spread out at his side in a strange angle. The other individual was also lying lifeless a little further. He looked away and tried again to stand up, resting on his forearms. These latter – ankylosed and trembling – bent under his weight. Lucifer fell back, vision obscured by effort. His back didn't meet the the rough surface of the road but something sweet and...pulpy.  

Chloe. Or rather the generous bosom of his partner.  

Lucifer tried to smile but only made a grin. Despite the cold wind slipping along his spine through his tattered suit, the sweat dripped from his neck.  

" N...Naughty...De...Detective ? " , he whispered, panting.  

Chloe smiled and shook her head, dejected by so much stupidity. She tightened her grip around his chest and scrutinized him, uncertain. Lucifer easily guessed her intention. They didn't really have any other options. Resigned, he gave her his agreement by a slight nod and closing his eyes again. He no longer had the strength to speak. Staying awake became more and more arduous. Chloe straightened up and at the same time lifted Lucifer, pulling him towards her  bluntly.  

And the Devil screamed.  

The razor-sharp metal carved deep furrows in his flesh as the rest of his leg was pulled out of underneath the bloody carcass. He screamed again and again, struggling weakly against his partner's firm embrace.  It seemed that he'd screamed for an eternity. He screamed in agony until the pressure around his leg disappeared. Chloe finally released her grip around Lucifer's chest. The latter fell heavily to the ground.  The nocturnal landscape quickly became cloudy and opaque. He no longer felt anything. It was nice...Very nice. He seemed to see a flash of terror in the detective's eyes while his closed gently.  

Before letting himself go to the frigid darkness, he heard an umpteenth time and to his greatest regret :  

**_" LUCIFER !! "_**  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoy :) Let a comment!


	3. Seven hours

Chloe cursed before kneeling hurriedly to Lucifer's side.  

She stroked his neck in search of a pulse, a tiny clue that would reassure her about her partner's condition. The task was hardly easy: her hand kept trembling and she repeated it several times before perceiving a slight pulsation under her fingers. Weak but well present.  

Chloe closed her eyes with relief. She strove to catch her breath, panting and painful for a few minutes. She had to calm herself, to remain in control of her emotions.  

_"B_ _reathe_ _Chloe...Breathe...Inhale, exhale...Slowly..."_  

The strong pressure in her chest gradually subsided to the rhythm of her slow breathing. The detective opened her eyes, more alert.  

Her hand was still leaning against Lucifer's carotid. Slowly, she pulled it out and put it on his bleeding cheek. His skin was so cold to the touch...He who was almost burning in general. Chloe felt her heart shake with fright, inspecting him from head to foot. Inert, his chest lifting weakly and hardly, covered with blood and bruises more impressive than the others...Not to mention his leg. The metal had deeply cut the flesh at the level of the calf, leaving in its wake a yawning and bleeding wound. The car had already caused a lot of damage by imprisoning Lucifer's leg : to extirpate it by force had only made things worse.  

Chloe cursed herself. She should have used a makeshift lever to pull out her partner's limb from under that damned metallic carcass. Why hadn't she take the time to think a little more ?  

Why?! 

_" Because you're both alone,_ _wounded_ _and surrounded by an_ _indeterminate_ _number of potentially aggressive individuals in an_ _abandon_ _ed_ _neighborhood in L.A. , that's why! "_  

It was a fairly accurate summary of their situation, indeed.  

The detective stopped caressing Lucifer's cheek and exhorted herself to be calm. The hour wasn't for lamentations. She had to get under cover, she and Lucifer.  

_"_ _Focus, Chloe! "_  

The first thing to do was to contact reinforcement. Alone, being stuck with a person seriously injured, the chances of survival became very limited. Or almost zero. Inspecting the surroundings with a lively eye, she frantically rummaged through the pockets of her laced leather jacket. Pleasantly surprised, she took her cell phone out of her right inner pocket. Chloe quickly became disenchanted in front of the shattered screen. She put it in her pocket with an angry gesture. Lucifer didn't have a cell phone. Mr. Morningstar didn't lower himself to being sounded by a vulgar electronic tool when he was needed. Maze did it for him. Otherwise, the detective would have to run after him personally to get his attention. For Lucifer's greatest satisfaction.  

She could have counted on the tracer of her official car, unfortunately it was Lucifer's car that was embedded against a wall and not her own.  

What was left as an option?  

Her gaze stopped on the two lifeless bodies stretched not far from her. Chloe straightened up on her legs and rummaged frenetically into the pockets of the youngest. Empty-handed, she turned to the older man and continued her search, more and more nervous. Her meager loot consisted of a packet of cigarettes half-opened, keys and a short-range radio. Chloe held back a curse. These radios had only a range of six hundred meters as best. The police station was certainly not within a radius of six hundred meters. Six kilometers as best. It could be nevertheless useful. On the same frequency as these individuals, she could easily follow their plans and progress while pending some rescue. If rescue came one day... 

The problem remained the same. They were lonely and stuck.  

But someone will eventually notice their absence, right? Dan was keeping Trixie for the night. It was about seven hours before Dan took Trixie to school and noticed her absence to the office. With luck, he would quickly understand that this absence wasn't normal and would look after her. First at home, then at Lux.  

_Seven hours..._  

They should hold on seven long hours.  

 

 ---------------------------------------

 

The radio emitted a faint sizzle which made Chloe jump. She brought it closer to her ear, intrigued.  

**_" Karl? Josh?...What the hell are you doing ?! We heard gunshots! "_** , exclaimed a voice distorted by the communication device.  

A second passed barely before another voice rose from the radio.  

**_" I'm_** ** _heading_** ** _toward them! "_**  

The detective straightened quickly, panicked.  

_"A shelter! Quick ! "_  

She clumsily seized the weapons close to the bodies before returning to Lucifer, still unconscious. Chloe spotted a dilapidated warehouse about thirty yards away. An easy distance to walk in less than a minute. Easy alone. Remained the problem "Lucifer Morningstar". A problem of ninety pounds, inert and bleeding.  

So...No problem.  

The detective took a last look behind her – watching their potential pursuers – before firmly grabbing her partner under arms. Bandaging hers muscles, she pulled him with all her strengths to their salvation.  

Still thirty meters.  

She was already breathless and exhausted. She pulled Lucifer's inert body again and again. Stubbornly. Only worrying about passing the door of the warehouse before it was too late.  

Fifteen meters.  

A side point tugged her left flank and her arms hurt. But Chloe pulled once more. She had the horrible impression that she had been on the spot for an eternity. Eternity dangerously bringing them closer to a burial cloth. She pulled again and stepped back a few steps before her back stumbled against a hard surface covered with splinters. Still holding her damp hold around Lucifer's wrists, Chloe looked behind her.  

The entrance door to the warehouse. Finally.  

She released her grip around Lucifer's limbs and undertook to kick the door. She heard the sound of hurried footsteps and screams in the distance, and knocked the door with more energy than ever.  

She wouldn't die here. Not her. Neither Lucifer.  

The door gave way in a grim crunch and opened in the fly. Without loosing a moment, the detective grabbed Lucifer unceremoniously by the wrists and dragged him awkwardly inside the building. Rushing to close the door, she stumbled and almost sank into the dusty floor. Taking hold to her trembling legs, Chloe closed the door with a sharp gesture. The breath short and hurried, she heard several cries in the street they had just left.  

_" That was close..."_ , she thought, exhausted.  

She found herself in total darkness. The huge warehouse was only illuminated by the dim light of the Moon through a filthy window to the right of the door. The detective risked a discreet glance through it.  

A group of six had gathered around the battered car. They were all heavily armed: nine millimeters, machine guns for some...Luxury paraphernalia for a simple street gang. Too luxury perhaps. If there was the case, the acquisition of such weapons had to necessarily involve a third party. More powerful. Chloe's meninges were working at full capacity.  Gangs targeting wealthy people: nothing very original. It was even predictable. But the implication of a more powerful third party call the operating mode into question. It was no longer a matter of theft of opportunity but of organized crime. And the leaders of this milieu never acted without thought. Could the victims be directly targeted? Did they have anything to do with the criminal environment? It would mean that Lucifer was personally targeted... _Why is that ?_  

Too many hypothetical deductions for insufficient evidence. An interesting track, nevertheless.  

The six men seemed to quarrel among themselves. They hadn't foreseen that their targets would escape them. Even less would they fight back. After a few minutes of cries and indistinct accusations for Chloe, the six men separated into two groups of three. The first three took the street opposite the warehouse, while the three others left where they had come.  

The young woman sank gently against the wall and gave a long sigh of relief. They had a respite. She closed her eyes for a moment, completely exhausted. A cold breeze caressed her sweaty neck, which made her shudder. She swallowed and opened her eyes to fix her gaze on the ill-defined shadow at her feet. Lucifer's chest continued to rise slowly to the sandstone of his breath. Chloe straightened herself with difficulty and gathered what remained of her energy to find a less exposed place in the building. She wasn't to relax. They had to hold on, she and Lucifer. And hoping some rescue.  

Hold on.  

Seven hours. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always...comment? (I know I'm noxious ^^)


	4. What a delight

Maze leaned casually against the bar and looked around the dance floor.  

Dancing was a pleasant human pastime in her eyes. More than a mere sequence of rhythmic movements at the mercy of a randomly drinking music, the dance appeared above all as a corporeal incantation...a sort of animal parade. An act revealing the lowest and most delicious instincts of the human race. A fleeting grip...The contact of the flesh...Exchanges of glances fevered by the desire rising in successive waves.  

What a delight.  

Maze sketched a smile and let amber and pungent liquid contained in her glass flow down her palate. She closed her eyes with pleasure. These "humanoid" pleasures, insignificants at the first sight, had got the better of her over the years spent on this damned pebble. So much so that she could hardly have done without it today. Maze rested her half-empty glass on the bar and looked back at the crowd waving frantically in front of her. It was only in the midst of these uninhibited bugs that she regained an impression of power.  

Of superiority.  

Unfortunately, it was only a vague impression. An ephemeral sensation, which would last only a few hours at best. A pale copy of the indisputable superiority of her status in Hell with Lucifer. Mazekeen clenched her teeth. She wouldn't have known how she felt at that moment. Anger? Sadness? A mixture of both, no doubt.  

Five years ago – centuries in her eyes – the mere enunciation of her name aroused a fear almost palpable in the opaque air of the Eternal Furnaces. A glance to her part, an imperceptible movement...caused a delectable panic among her victims. A pleasure so intense compared to these human trifles. Maze closed her eyes and her smile broadened to the memories of their supplications. She would have liked to go back even for a moment! It would have been for her a breath of fresh air. She, who remained in a kind of apnea uncomfortable for five long years.  Torturing the damned souls missed her a little more days in days. Oh of course, Maze had already made her "teeth" on some specimens composed of flesh and blood. But this was nothing near or near to the tortures she once administrated in Hell. The humans were so weak, so fragile...She had scarcely begun to have fun as they passed the Veil. What horrible frustration! The Damned Souls offered unlimited pleasure and entertainment. It was the principle of Eternal Damnation... 

Resigned, Maze had no choice but to turn to more... _conventional_ pleasures. This "animal parade" was part of it. And participating it gave her a sensation of power. The same for Lucifer – to a lesser extent, however – the humans were irremediably "bewitched" by the charms of the demon. She nourished their darkest desires. It was enough for her a look...a caress...to hold the human in her grip. 

 Potentially carnal hold.  

Mazekeen distractedly caressed the black marble of the bar with her long, thin fingers. Her dark eyes slowly traveled the dance floor in search of a drinking prey. Man. Woman. It didn't matter. The two suited her. Together or separately. She knew how to vary the pleasures. After a few minutes, she spotted a magnificent male specimen slightly in the background. The latter was nonchalantly leaning against a pillar, observing with some intensity the demon. He was well built, his muscles subtly drawing under his black shirt. His tanned skin seemed to shine at the mercy of the lights of the Lux and his eyes of an intense gray remained obstinately fixed on her.  

A prey of choice.  

Maze sketched a carnivorous smile and straightened slightly. She moved away from the bar with a slow and feline gait, still followed by the gaze of her future delicacy. She was going to reach the staircase when the surrounding décor seemed to freeze, to slow down, just like the people present. She whispered angrily and clenched her fists. She felt a slight current of air sweeping the bottom of her hair.  

" You know you're **_literally_** breaking the mood, Amenadiel?! ", she said without turning back to the latter.  

"Aren’t you glad to see me, little demon? ", he asked in a grave, deep voice.  

Resigned, she sighed loudly before tuning to her surprised guest. 

 

 ----------------------------------

 

Amenadiel was one meter away from her, leaning casually against the pillar adjoining the bar. He wore – with a certain elegance, she thought – a well-cut blue night suit highlighting his developed musculature. He had opted for a lilac silk shirt, a choice of taste. Who could have believed that the angels knew about fashion dress?  

Maze crossed her arms on her chest and looked him up. If he expected a warm welcome from her, he had been deceived.  

She hadn't forgotten.  

Anxious to remain on Earth indefinitely, she had been persuaded to betray Lucifer; for his own good, he said. And she had been fooled. So easily. The angel had leaned where it was needed, when needed. Her fear. Her melancholy of Hell, of torture. Her desire to see the real Lucifer again. Her Lord. Her Master. Pushed by her fears, Mazekeen had offered the only weakness of the Devil on a silver platter. The original sanctuary where he had taken refuge frequently  in recent months : Dr. Linda's office.  

She had realized her mistake. Too late, far too late. Theft of Lucifer's wings and the manipulation of Linda had meant Lucifer, more than the latter would admit. And it didn't take him long to discover the origin of his torments. Maze still didn't understand why he had let her live and stay in Lux. But, in a way, staying and seeing Lucifer every day without being allowed to talk to him was much worse than annihilation.  

She had therefore every reason to hate the celestial being standing before her.  

The latter straightened and put his hands in his pockets. He advanced a few steps and declared in a monotone voice:  

"I need your help..."  

Maze uttered a disdainful exclamation. He didn't formalize it and continued to slowly advance towards her, until only a few inches remained between them. She almost could feel the fine linen of his suit caressing the bare skin of her arms, still crossed on her chest. She continued to fix him, silent and hostile. The black angel gave a slight sigh of annoyance before continuing :  

" It's about Lucifer..." 

" I would been surprised to the contrary! ", exclaimed the demon, aghast.  

She went to the bar, taking care to shake him as she passed and filled her glass again.  

"I suppose you're still mad at me for having forced you to betray Lucifer, but...", he began.  

"You suppose well! Now...Could you suppose that I violently eject your angelic ass of my sight?! ", she interrupted him in a cold and contemptuous voice.  

Maze emptied her glass one shot and glared at him. Amenadiel lowered his head and sighed loudly. Did he really hope that she would listen to him obediently? She filled her glass again before turning to him. The latter looked at her in his turn, irritated.  

"Could you stop barking five minutes like a watchdog and listen to what I have to say?! ", he got angry, his cheeks on fire.  

She arched an eyebrow, surprised. A watchdog? She preferred by far "little demon"...She sipped her drink, prompting him to continue. If that was the only way to get rid at him...So be it.  

"I can't detect Lucifer's presence for a few hours...May you know the reason? "  

" And it's important because...? "  

Amenadiel straightened up to make her face again, exasperated by her casual attitude. Obvouisly, this situation disrupted him more than she could have imagined.  

"Because not a moment has passed since I was sent here, without my perception of his demonic presence! ", he replied forcefully. " Most of the time, it's more like parasites...like a buzzing insect around my ears.", he continued camelry as he paced. "Lately, Lucifer has taken a malicious pleasure in taunting me with prayer: he amuses himself by reciting blasphemous songs at the top of his voice, or proposes sordid carnal plans which – according to him – would have the power to dislodge the immense broom stuck in my angelic ass for millennia! A potential miracle! _Tcchhhhh_ _! "_  

He turned to Maze, irritated by the crystalline laughter of the latter. She couldn't help herself. That was typical Lucifer. She stopped laughing at Amenadiel's murderous look, but didn't give up her smile. The angel's tranquil face was covered with a nervous tic, which made him look much more human at this moment.  

" But for three hours, I haven't heard or felt anything. Despite the decrease in his powers and his new mortality, I've always heard his prayers and this buzz...I don't know what to think...Do you think he's in danger or...? "  

Maze quietly sipped another sip of alcohol before answering in a clear voice:  

" I don't think so. It has already happened to me to lose his trace more than once since our arrival on Earth. Especially since my... _mistake_. Lucifer can deliberately hide his demonic imprint from me. If he succeed with me, a little demon, why should he not succeed with a... _little cherub_? " 

The said-cherub frowned and clapped his jaw against the insult. Maze held his gaze and displayed a seductive smile. She slowly approached him with a swaying step before raising her face to his. She knew full well that this approach and her sensual aura would disrupt him. Her fleshy lips were a few millimeters from his. She caressed her lower lip with her tongue before whispering in his ear :  

" Anyway, you should apply Lucifer's advice...A good shag would derive you...if you can handle it. "  

Amenadiel stepped back a few steps, like struck by an electric discharge. His thin lips were frozen in a sneer of disgust and his gaze was troubled. The demon didn't move but smiled at him even more. A mocking and haughty smile. He clenched his fists before recovering his mask of impassivity. With a movement of shoulders, his black wings spread out on both sides of his back. The angel fixed her for a moment before disappearing in a breath.  

The room and the customers took life around her again.  

Maze paid no more attention to it than that. She was lost in her thoughts. Amenadiel's visit has stirred up her mind. Is it possible that Lucifer runs any danger? Her hands around her glass tightened as anger poured into her veins. Even if that was the case, it was no longer her problem now. The Devil had rejected her, for a single mistake, and to the detriment of a banal human being.  

This Decker!  

She didn't understand his fascination with her. Anyway, Lucifer's situation concerned Chloe from now on.  

Mazekeen turned her dark look back on the male specimen identified earlier. He was always at his post, overflowing with carnal passion. She gave him a smirk before emptying her glass. She placed the latter on the marble counter before walking slowly towards the dance floor.  

What a delight...


	5. I will make myself like The Most High

He was falling.  

A dizzy, painful, destructive fall. All was only light and destruction as he fell...again and again.  

The air left his lungs, he was suffocating. He couldn't remember ever having had needed so much to breathe. His Wings, which had never failed him, were inert against his sides. Useless about his Fall.  

And for the first time since his creation, he was...afraid.  

Suffering, screaming his fear against his Father. His brothers and the Silver City above him, until disappearing while his fall continued inexorably. His black eyes, wide-eyed with terror, met those of Michael's blue cold.  

His brother. His executioner.  

The one who had betrayed him. Mutilated him. Without remorse.  

Michael watched him with his icy eyes and sharp as the heavenly sword deep pressed in his side.  

There was no blood.  

Only the Light. Suffocating. Oppressive.  

The luminous and destructive halo intensified until he howled with pain, rage, despair. The divine flames encircled him to become a glowing shroud.  

A luminous trail cutting the brightness of the skies. Announcing the Judgment of God in the world.  

His Divine and Eternal Fall. His Disgrace. His Shame.  

He struggled as ever against this Light...This benevolent clarity now become his executioner. He closed his eyes, hoping to escape this unbearable luminosity.  

Hoping for Forgiveness. Redemption.  

The luminous halo persisted in crossing each pore of his body, his soul...implacable. A worthy reflection of the Divine Justice.  

 _"Let_ _it_ _stop..._ _Please_ _..._ _Make_ _it_ _stop! "_  

The air, compressed by so much power, scolded...howled to his ears. It was screaming for him, testifying to his fall. The rumbling intensified again before turning into an acute whistle.  

He felt his body crossed the Veil. He wanted to scream, but no sound came out. Each patch of his skin was burnt, scarified by the Darkness. _His_ Light turned into an unspeakable thing.  

 _"No...Please_ _..."_  

The Luminous Halo turned into a dark, opaque shroud. The white flames blackened and slid insidiously towards his soul.  

 _"No...No...Not that..."_  

He would have liked to move, struggle with all his might to escape the Darkness. His body was arched in a painful and desperate supplication, paralyzed and impotent. The dark flames wrapped around his leg and passed through it, reveling in his flesh.  

He wanted to scream, to make flee these horrors by any means.  They were powerful and held his limb firmly, continuing to wrap around. They were everywhere...sliding slowly, silently towards their goal.  

He wanted it to stop. Do not suffer any more. Do not feel any more.  

Disappear.  

 ** _"Crap of sh...! Stay still, For Go_** ** _d Sake! "_**  

And Lucifer finally emerged from the Darkness.  

 

\---------------------------------

 

The first thing that managed to integrate his misty mind was the cold.  

He was shivering. This sensation was very uncomfortable. He had never been cold. The Devil embodied heat, flames, burning passion. Why was he cold? It never happened to him! Lucifer frowned, confused. Irritated to experience such a disagreeable thing without authorizing it.  

And why did he get hurt everywhere?  

Not an inch of his body was spared. Uncomfortable pressure swept his sweaty temples, his lungs seemed filled with thorns piercing his ribs at each inspiration. His back pulled him atrociously and his leg – far from being chilled like the rest of his anatomy -  seemed to radiate. It housed the Ovens of Hell alone.  

Other information gradually entered his mind. A cold, moist soil against his back. Ice water dripping on his face at regular intervals and flowing down to the bottom of his stiff neck. Unpleasant rubbing along his injured leg.  

 _Hands!_ They were hands!, Lucifer finally concluded, daze.  

Why? To whom did they belong? Was anyone – in his state of physical weakness,  a state resulting from exceptional and unwanted circumstances – trying to _abuse_ him ?! He grunted, frustrated. He couldn't even enjoy it!  

Such a waste!  

The hands that fiddled with the bottom of his anatomy – not the right part according to him – stopped abruptly at the sound of his voice.  

" Lucifer? " 

The latter, his throat dry and painful, like all the rest, hardly swallowed. He really had enough of all this pain! The same hands raised his head and a hard, damp surface struck against his cracked lips.  

" Drink...It's water. Sorry, I didn't find Bourbon! ", mocked an indistinct voice.  

Without discussing, - he wouldn't really have been able to discuss the benefits of this aphrodisiac drink, anyway – Lucifer slowly swallowed a few mouthfuls of icy water. This felt him strangely good. The same hands helped him to lengthen gently on the hard ground. Slowly, his eyelids opened and his eyes met only...darkness. He blinked several times, puzzled. Had he dreamed? Was he still in Hell? A prey to the Black Flames?  

The darkness was suddenly swept away by a luminous flash followed by a deafening noise outside. A storm. Only occasional lightnings illuminated the premises intermittently. He closed his eyes for a moment, relieved. The light scattered by the bursting of the storm had confused Lucifer's mind, making him revive – with a striking reality – his Fall from Heaven. He was relieved and... _annoyed_. Against himself. Against his weakness. Still experiencing fear after all this time. To be so easily regained by fear. He felt weak, idiot...vulnerable. And the Devil was none of that. He couldn't lower himself to that. Not him. Especially not him.  

The lightning violently sharpening the darkness resembled Michael's divine lightning.  

This _bastard_... 

Lucifer felt the flames glowing in his onyx pupils. Michael could boast of being the only person, outside his Father, to provoke an uncontrollable and frightful rage in the eyes of mortals being unfortunately near the Prince of Darkness.  

Michael. The archangel. " _Like God_ ", in Hebrew.  

There's no need to find a valid reason to Lucifer's hatred after that! He hated him, he and the others – Gabriel and Raphael – who coldly turned their back on him at the darkest hour of his life. And for what? A Father not supporting freedom. And yet, it was all Lucifer asked for, contrary to all that the allegedly _biblical_ writings could relate.  

Be free.  

Free of his choices. Of his mistakes. Of his successes.  

Nothing more. Nothing less.  

Was it so bad? So inconceivable, even for an archangel? To have the freedom to try, stumble, breathe by himself?! Without reckoning to anyone, except himself.  

For having desired this, he had been forfeited. Reduce unless man. Rejected. Stained for all Eternity.  

And Lucifer hated " _Micky_ " all the more for having applied the orders to him without remorse. He was also convinced that Michael had found a certain pleasure in it. At least, Gab and Raph had the decency to look guilty by turning their backs on him.  

All those painful memories because of a stupid storm! Ans a spirit bloody tainted with pain.  

Lucifer blinked several times, hoping to see more clearly. He saw above him a sort of thick glass roof perforated in multiple places where water spouts were rushing. He concluded that he was still lying on his back, inside a kind of abandoned building this time. If it was a clear improvement of their situation, he wasn't really convinced. The pain was similar, or worse then the first time. He was freezing as a bonus. Prognosis quite negative so far.  

He felt someone kneel beside him. Slowly, with infinite precaution, he turned his head towards the origin of the noise. His heart jumped in his chest – again a new exciting feeling – at the sight of Chloe on his left. Safe and sound. Lucifer smiled slightly at her. Chloe answered with a smile that was reassuring despite the glimmer of anxiety reflected in her gray eyes.  

" If you desired so much to take advantage of my body, Detective...we could have done this in my penthouse...warm, with many battery accessories at hands...", he whispered, gleam amused in the eye. 

The detective narrowed her eyes and pressed her delicate lips into an exasperated pout. A pout of annoyance peculiar to the young woman. It was so easy to destabilize her! Even at this moment.  

Chloe sighed loudly before answering :  

" The day I would consider using your body otherwise than as a body shield or doormat hasn't yet arrived, Lucifer...And will never happen! " 

" _Never_ say never, Detective! ", he replied in a weak and mocking voice.  

The latter didn't argue with him. Lucifer cautiously leaned on his forearms, before he stood up softly, trembling. Chloe helped him to slowly put himself in seated position against the cold wall behind him, his legs still stretched out in front of him. Seated so, he distinguished the place better.  

It looked like an old merchandise warehouse. Wooden crates and containers of all kinds and colors ware stacked a few meters from them, thus offering some privacy. The floor was filthy, covered with dust and dubious dejections of parasites running here and there around the fissured walls. Water spouts continued pouring from the ceiling, ending in muddy puddles on the ground.  

" How do you feel? ", asked Chloe softly.  

Lucifer leaned the bottom of his skull against the wall and closed his eyes for a moment, breathless. This simple movement had caused sharp waves of pain throughout his body, now traversed by violent tremors. His heart beat vigorously against his chest and the room seemed to turn sickly despite his closed eyes. Was it always so far humans? Feel bad at the slightest scratch? At the slightest shock a little violent? Not for him! 

" Bad...", he answered in a breath, his eyes obstinately closed and his jaw clenched.  

He opened his eyes and stared at detective's. He expected an unpleasant remark on her part, as she was used to. It was like that between them. But she didn't do it, still staring at him with her worried look. Embarrassed, Lucifer looked away and asked her :  

" What happened? " 

Chloe stood up and glanced past the stacked boxes before returning to him. She brought a few strands of rebellious hair behind her ear before answering:  

" Your plan worked...too well actually. They have placed a line of nails in a strategic place and we rushed into it! " 

She went to the window a few meters from Lucifer before continuing :  

" You lost consciousness after we cleared your leg from under your late car...I wanted to call for reinforcements, but my cell phone was damn. I only found one short-range radio in the pocket of one of the two suspects. We are too far from the police station, but it could help us. "  

After inspecting the exteriors visible from the window, Chloe returned to sit beside him. She pulled out the radio from one of her pockets.  

" I managed to capture their frequency. They were heading towards us, so...I dragged you here before they surrounded us. " 

" You're full of surprises, Detective! ", exclaimed Lucifer. " Nevertheless, I'd have preferred to be carried by you rather than _dragged_ like a vulgar bag of potatoes...But the idea was there! What a romanticism! ", he teased her.  

" Seriously?! We're not in a fairy tail, Lucifer...Rather be in deep shit, at the moment...", said Chloe, exasperated.  

" Language...language, Detective! ", he tickled her again.  

His charming smile quickly fanned by meeting the nasty look of the detective. He displayed a contrite and guilty air before asking her, more seriously this time :  

" Do you have any idea of their motivation or...? " 

" I have some leads, but..."  

She was interrupted by the cry of her partner :  

 ** _" GOOD LORD! "_**  

Chloe leaned towards him, anxious.  

" You'll be fine, Lucifer. The pain will pass..."  

The latter looked at her, outraged and exclaimed :  

" You should be ashamed!! I tortured for less than that in Hell, Detective!... I mean..."  

Chloe stared at him, disconcerted. He deeply sighed before showing her with an angry finger his wounded leg briefly wrapped in his Prada jacket. The latter was soaked in blood and irremediably damn. 

" This jacket costs more than three thousands dollars! ", he continued, quite agitated. " It's a unique model! Bloody Hell..."  

He expected a full apology from the detective, but the latter seemed determined to continue to stare at him with her eyes wide-eyed. A nervous spasm passed through her thin lips. She pinched the latter and a long whistle escaped from her dilated nostrils, like a bull ready to load. She clenched her fists against her knees and said in a loud voice:  

" And here I am thinking that you undressing in front of a woman was second nature to you..."  

Lucifer stopped glaring at her and nodded imperceptibly. She wasn't wrong.  

" _Touché_ , Detective... _Touché_. ", he whispered, his anger soared. " Nothing stop you to join the party, by the way! ", he continued, avoiding crossing the furious glance of Chloe.  

The latter let out a nervous laugh and shook her head, annoyed. Silence settled between them. Lucifer closed his eyes, breathless. His bits of humor cost him too much energy. What wasn't exhausting at that moment? Even inspiring air was arduous for him. He had the impression that a dagger was firmly lodged between his rids, digging a little farther into his flesh at each inspiration.  

" Far from me the idea of spoiling this romantic impulse, - I adore carnal embraces in filthy warehouses, believe me! - but couldn't we continue our nascent idyll in a warm bed? ", asked Lucifer after a few minutes.  

" That's what I've been trying to explain to you for a while now! "  

To the anxious tone of the detective, Lucifer opened his eyes and scrutinized her face, much more attentive.  

" No one knows that we're here...We have no means of communication other than this radio. And there're at least six heavily armed individuals in the area that are looking for us. I'm not sure they really need us...alive.", she finished, her voice slightly trembling.  

Lucifer swallowed hard at this announcement of this news. Even he could understand that the hour wasn't to laugh. He blamed himself for not having warned anyone of his plan, not even Maze. All that more so having embarked Chloe in this expedition without an exit. Did he want to bring her with him to Hell?  

" What's your plan, Detective? " 

Chloe sighed and looked at her watch.  

" Dan will be worried about my absence in a little less than five hours...with luck. ", she explained.  

" And you pull all your hopes on **_Detective Douche_** 's deductions capabilities?! ", he exclaimed, incredulously.  

Let's get over with, then!  

" You have a better idea?! ", the detective almost cried at the end of her nerves.  

Lucifer opened his mouth to reply but was interrupted by a metallic noise at the other end of the warehouse. They fell silent, petrified. And praying that it would be nothing worse than a somewhat adventurous rat.  

Footsteps soon followed the metallic sound, beyond the stormy din.  

It was much worse than a rat, in the end.  

Devilishly worse... 

 

\----------------------------------

 

 

Lucifer and Chloe exchanged a glance as the steps became clearer and closer. In a glance they spoke more than with simple words.  

" _Just...shut up!_ ", the detective seemed to scream.  

" _Don't do anything stupid without me, Detective!_ ", he warned her with a flamboyant look.  

" _Just keep quiet...I_ _'m_ _on it!_ ", she insisted with a steady look.  

Before Lucifer could really say anything, she straightened silently and walked around the container placed at the exact opposite of the noise. She wanted to bypass him and surprise him. Lucifer breathed a sigh of annoyance and strove to remain calm. He couldn't stand up. No way. His head was taken for a full-size top. And he felt as weak as a baby. Or more, if possible. A growing anxiety was intruding into his mind. Why should she put herself in danger? Wasn't she supposed to be smart?! 

A shadow grew on the ground not far from Lucifer as the steps became clearer. Lucifer held his breath and tensed. The shadow grew again to become a soaked man with an unattractive look. In the darkness, Lucifer saw a gun in his hand. The man finally seemed to notice the presence of Lucifer a few meters from him. Lucifer, meanwhile, was scrolling through the meager possibilities offered to him. He was too far away to undergo his usual trick and thus disconcert him.  

Make conversation? This was an inconclusive idea, which had nevertheless proved effective in the past. Lucifer wasn't sure he could do it, though.  

His vision began to darken, a state totally independent of the surrounding darkness. He really had enough to lose consciousness! How boring!  

Despite his foggy vision, he seemed to distinguish – a few meters behind the undesirable insect – his dear detective. Lucifer frowned, puzzled. Why had she not yet shoot this man? What was she waiting for? An invitation?!  

The man in question had still not threatened Lucifer with his gun, for his part. He maybe thought, and rightly so, that he didn't represent a real threat to his condition. He pulled out of his jacket the same radio that the detective had previously shown him. The latter continued to sneak behind him. Lucifer glared at her, exasperated by this useless risk-taking. This kind of stupidity was reserved or him! He knew how to do it! Certainly not her!  

And they all got confirmation when Chloe stumbled loudly against a metal pipe protruding from the ground.  

Lucifer rolled his eyes for a brief moment before so much incompetence. His exasperation quickly turned into growing panic. The man had now turned towards the detective. She quickly straightened up and hit him hard, putting all her weight to make him flinch. They both fell on the ground, struggling each one like never before. Lucifer had to admit that the detective was gusty. This increased even more his desire to test this aspect of her personality in a situation requiring little or no clothing. The struggler seemed to tilt gradually in favor of the intruder.  

Chloe quickly found herself trapped under the muscular body of her assailant. She tried to free herself from his embrace, contorting in every direction. Wasted effort. Strong hands encircled the detective's thin neck. Lucifer was getting mad when he heard the choked sounds emitted by his partner. He tried to move but only managed to slip lamentably to the ground, his right temple painfully encountering the filthy ground. Stars swirled before his eyes. Insistent and panicked groans became weaker. Lucifer's eyes widened, panicked.  

What to do? He was the Devil, dammit! Could he do anything to save her?!  

Lucifer leaned on his forearm and stared at his ring. He froze.  

 _Maybe..._  

There were a risk. A very big risk. It normally required an astronomical amount of energy... 

So here... 

Chloe's body seemed to weaken in her struggle to survive. Turning its back on his doubts, he slowly brought the back ring to his lips. He took one last look at Chloe. Maybe she would finally believe him after that... 

A deep, inhuman whisper crossed his lips, sweeping away the polished surface of the onyx jewel with a burning breath.  

 ** _M_** ** _ed_** ** _pagraphgonfam_** ** _..._** ** _Alü_**  

 ** _*_** ** _Obey_** ** _me...Alu_**  

The ambient air froze, condensed into an unbreathable...opaque substance. 

A mute and terrifying roar pierced the ground. Lucifer felt back on the wet ground, his hand against his side, his palm facing the sky. A thick black filament flowed from the ring and caressed Lucifer's flesh before sinking into his wrist. He winced as the shadow aspired what little energy he had left by this connection. The shadow grew rapidly until sucking up the surrounding shadows, turning into sickening maelstrom before Lucifer. The gigantic shadow rose and condensed before him, taking on a semblance of human form. A semblance. No face, hands, limbs. Just a black and viscous shadow...powerful and terrifying. The unnamable thing ran over the man in a flash, as silent as the air. She enveloped him, being one with him. He didn't even have time to scream or beg anything.  

Lucifer felt his life flowing by his wrist. He didn't care. He breathed again when he heard Chloe gasping and breathing with big noises while the shadow slowly re-entered the floor.  

He was cold. Again...For change! His eyes closed. Again... 

And in fell in Limbo.  

Again.  

 

 ---------------------------------

 ** _How_** ** _you_** ** _have_** ** _fallen_** **_from_** **_heaven_** ** _,_**  

 ** _morning_** ** _star, son of the_** ** _dawn_** ** _!_**  

 ** _You have been_** ** _cast_** ** _down to the_** ** _earth_** ** _,_**  

 ** _you_** **_who_** ** _once laid_** ** _low_** ** _the nations!_**  

 ** _You_** ** _said_** ** _in_** ** _your_** **_heart_** ** _,_**  

 ** _“I_** ** _will_** **_ascend_** ** _to the_** ** _heavens_** ** _;_**  

 ** _I_** ** _will_** **_raise_** **_my_** **_throne_**  

 ** _above_** ** _the stars of_** ** _God_** ** _;_**  

 ** _I_** ** _will_** **_sit_** **_enthroned_** ** _on the_** ** _mount_** ** _of_** ** _assembly_** ** _,_**  

 ** _on the_** ** _utmost_** **_heights_** ** _of Mount_** ** _Zaphon_** ** _._**

 ** _I_** ** _will_** **_ascend_** **_above_** ** _the tops of the_** ** _clouds_** ** _;_**  

 ** _I_** ** _will_** **_make_** **_myself_** ** _like the Most High.”_**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So...
> 
> Alü is a demon who look likes a shadow from Babylonian mythology. It's name is of Sumerian origin.  
> Lucifer's incantation is translated from Enochian ( langague from angels)  
> The final quotation is a verse relating Lucifer's Falling from Heaven , Esaïe 14:12
> 
> Let a comment!


	6. Whatever it takes

Chloe felt her life go away as her breath dwindled.  

Slowly. Slyly.  

Under the murderous look of this man. Two eyes filled with hatred that aspired to her life, by the painful and growing pressure around her neck. She tried to loosen her assailant, clawing him with her nails. This only increased the pressure of the vice around her throat. Chloe couldn't look away from her future murderer.  

Hypnotized by her approaching death reflected in these pupils.  

Oxygen was missing. Her mouth opened and closed, imitating the most ridiculous fish. Opening desperately to the lips in search of air.  

A breath, a breeze of air...a molecule... 

Breathe...Just a moment.  

Dozens of bright stars obscured her vision. Her fine fingers slid over his rough and murderous hands in a suppliant caress. Her body convulsed sporadically, as if it had hiccups. This comparison could have make her laugh if her position wasn't so catastrophic.  

She was going to die. It became more than a certainly as the seconds passed and the air continued to run out.  

Chloe had never thought of finishing her life like that. Strangled by a stranger, without knowing why. A ridiculous death. Without any goal. Without motive, except the hatred of life.  

Why?  

Why her? Why now? Why so?  

Tears peered through the corner of her eyes. All her muscles seemed to be ankylosed, paralyzed without the necessary air supply. Anger succeeded to fear. She blamed herself for not listening to her instinct. Not to have warned anyone of their plan. To leave Lucifer behind her, wounded. Defenseless.  

Her asphyxiated mind also thought of Dan and...Trixie.  

She uttered a lamentable shriek at the memory of her daughter. She blamed herself to let her alone.  

It was too hard. She couldn't do it. Her life escaped her, whatever she did.  

_" Trixie...Sorry..."_  

Her eyes rolled into the back of her head, a tear gently flowing down her cheek.  

Yeah...It was really a ridiculous death.  

 

\-------------------------------------------------

 

Chloe thought she heard a strange sound.  

Could we still hear in death? It wasn’t really a sound, strictly speaking. A sort of mute but terrifying roar.  

Powerful and horrible.  

It was hard to put words on this sound. To describe it accurately, give it a plausible consistency to the ears. A sound impossible to interpret for the human ear. An inhuman sound.  

The pressure around her neck faded suddenly. As if it had never existed. The air rushed into her trachea with violence. It was as painful as swallowing a jar of needles. Chloe took a great and noisy inspiration. She felt her rib cage rising sharply as her lungs gladly welcomed this salvatory air. Her body arched slightly, trembling. She coughed while trying to inhale as much air as possible by her congested trachea. Tears perched in the corner of her closed eyes. She felt them running down her cheeks. Her burnings lungs continued to swell with air.  

Inspiration. Expiry. Inspiration. Expiry... 

Her breath became calmer, though still panting and painful. Exhausted, aching but alive. And breathing...finally. Chloe clung to these two pieces of information. She focused her attention on the sensation of the cold floor against her moist temple.  

She was alive. She was doing well.  

Her mind, however, seemed to point the finger at an important fact that tended to question her well-being. A still vague data on her state of fatigue.  

What could it be?  

It had to be related to her state and the sound she heard before...Was it so important? Couldn't she rest a little? All her muscles howled with protest at the slightest movement. She didn't want to move. Or think. Just breathe, gently. And let herself be lulled by the voices around.  

Voices... ** _Voices!_**  

Chloe opened her eyes and violently raised her head, causing a flash of pain reverberating in her swollen neck. Increasing voices were heard a few yards behind the wall against which Lucifer was lying, inert. It could only be about them...again. How many were they? She tried to slowly calm her breathless and painful breathing while casting a desperate look at her partner.  

"Lucifer...", she croaked.  

Her voice was only an indistinct and shrill yelp. She coughed again after this one word, tears in her eyes. The voices increased a little more, accompanied by heavy steps. Exhausted, Chloe straightened up with her arms and dragged herself to the ground, her head heavy as lead, towards Lucifer.  

She wouldn't succeed.  

Although she may want to try...It was impossible in her condition. And in such a short time.  

She stopped, still half-slumped against the wet and slippery ground. Rays of lights came to light up the filthy walls not far from her. She distinguished four men, detached from the surrounding darkness, armed with weapons and lamps.  

Chloe cast a desperate glance at Lucifer, still inert on the ground. She looked around and spotted a slightly open container, the inside being plunged into total darkness. It wasn't far from her. She swallowed and gave Lucifer a last horrified look before dragging herself. All she could hope for was that these men wouldn't kill Lucifer in cold blood. She hoped that he was more useful for them alive than dead. This man – the one who had tried to strangle her – could have killed him a thousand times... 

So... 

A tiny hope.  

That was all she had.  

Clenching her teeth, the detective rushed silently into the container, sheltered from light and eyes. She slipped to the metal wall and leaned back against it, breathing short. From her position she could see Lucifer's face against the damp ground. Pale, the face surprisingly peaceful. A strange adjective to describe him... 

The footsteps and voices became much more distinct and Chloe saw three pairs of legs surrounding her partner's bleeding silhouette. She instinctively brought a hand against her mouth, hoping to stifle the sounds of her wheezing breath. She had no weapon to defend herself... nothing. She had the impression that they could hear her heart pounding painfully in her chest. But – by a miracle – they neither saw nor heard her. She kept her moist palm against her chapped lips and watched the scene, completely helpless.  

One of the four individuals knelt beside Lucifer. His face was thin, his cheeks covered by a black rising  beard. His dark hair was negligently brought back into a loose ponytail caressing his muscular neck. He placed two fingers against her partner's neck and frowned. One of the men standing behind him spoke, thus breaking the surrounding silence :  

"So? ", asked a grave, gruff voice. " Is he alive or not? "  

The one kneeling near Lucifer pulled his hand from under his neck before  turning to his "colleagues".  

" Barely...We'll have to be careful in carrying him. He wouldn't have to die before being brought to Mr. A....", he said, rubbing his wet beard with one hand.  

Chloe retained the name and put it in a corner of her mind. **_Mr. A. "_** A" how? And what could he want from Lucifer? She listened. The man sat up while another spoke :  

" We didn't go a little hard with the nails? ", he asked in an uncertain voice. " He wanted him in a good shape, right? Look at him... He barely breathes! If **_A._** ever gets angry...", he continued in a frightening voice.  

The one previously kneeling beside Lucifer reassured him :  

" Don't worry, Bill! He asked him alive... He didn't say in what state... Take his legs, I take his arms! " 

Chloe watched them lift Lucifer gently from the ground and disappear from her field of vision.  She waited a few seconds before straightening up as silently as possible, her legs trembling. This short rest time allowed her to regain a minimum of strength.  

Why did they need Lucifer? Was he the target from the beginning? And the previous victims? What was the link between them? Other than fortune... nothing came to mind. She advanced slowly to the door of the container, on her guard. She shouldn't lose sight of Lucifer. They had to be followed, by any means.  

She risked a quick glance through the half-open door of the container. The four men were now gathered outside the front door of the warehouse. Two of them carried Lucifer awkwardly outside. Chloe swallowed and crawled silently between the wooden boxes before hiding behind one of them, not far from the small group. She took care to squat and breathe gently, without making any suspicious sound. Her half-defeated braid tickled her moist sweaty neck. She watched the two men throw Lucifer into the back of a pickup truck. She glanced at the scaled logo on the side of the vehicle : an electric company... ** _LA_** ** _Gp_** ** _._** If her memories weren't lacking, it was a very old company that went bankrupt a few decades ago. Their factory was at the other end of the neighborhood, far from any habitation. The two men who had carried Lucifer to the back of the vehicle closed the doors with a blow. The bearded man shook his jacket soaked by the storm and before turning to the individual standing back near the door of the building.  

" Stay here...If Brian comes up again, contact us, right? And if you find the girl...Shoot her...", he shouted to make himself heard when a loud flash was heard in the night.  

He nodded and the bearded man rushed to the front of the van with the two remaining members of the group. Chloe looked around, panicked. She couldn't watch them took Lucifer just like that! She had to follow them. To help Lucifer. Moving away from the warehouse would surely reduce the chances of rescue but...leaving her partner in the hands of these men was hardly conceivable.  

Absolutely not.  

She heard the engine start and spotted – a few yards behind the van – a dented motorcycle but in working order. The man who remained on the scene shifted and leaned back against the bike. 

 That was her chance... 

She could follow them discreetly. With this weather, no need to worry about minimum spinning distance. But she had to get rid of this guy and...quickly.  

She looked frantically around her.  

_"Quick...QUICK! "_  

Her eyes stopped on a rusty chain against the box where she had been hiding for a few minutes. Failing to take precautions, she grabbed it with a firm hand and ran as fast as possible towards the individual and the motorcycle. The latter quickly turned to her, alerted by the noise.  

Too late.  

Chloe had already struck him with force at the level of the skull with the aid of the chain. There was a sickening crack and the man collapsed, face down the ground. The detective saw the truck bifurcating around the corner. She dropped her extra weapon, grabbing her victim's hand while quickly retrieving the keys of the motorcycle in his pocket. She put the helmet on her head and started the bike. The powerful rumble of the engine was stifled by the outcry. Chloe stiffened the hold of her hands around the  handlebars and pushed the heel accelerator.  

She didn't know yet whether this fruitless pursuit would lead to a promising result for her and Lucifer.  

She had to try anyway. To help him.  

By any way.  

Whatever it takes. 


	7. And it sounded with "Douche "

Maze sighted with ease under the enterprising caresses of her prey.  

He kissed and forcefully chewed the skin of her neck, making the demon groan with ecstasy. She had to admit that he knew to do it. He knew the basics.  

But... it was far from being enough for a demon. For Maze. 

She wasn't like those depraved succubuses, quickly sated at the slightest calculated caress. Maze's tendencies were... surprising for mortals. And terrifying.  

She took her conquest by the hair, bringing his face up to her own. He gave her a look lost and fired by desire. Maze gave him a carnivorous smile before licking languorously the thin lips offered to her. She put her tongue on it and skilfully turned it around his, leaving the man stunned in her arms. She nibbled violently on the lower lip of her prey, the latter jumping and moaning against her lips. He started back, but Maze gripped his muscular arm and gently sucked the bleeding blood of the thin bite. She broke the kiss, smiling at him even more. A predatory smile, her white teeth slightly stained by the blood previously licked. The man opened his eyes wide with fear and desire.  

It couldn't be otherwise by looking at her.  

All instinctively experienced a visceral fear and a need to flee as far as possible, but the desire stifled these fairly reasonable instincts.  

" _Men... So_ _predictable..._ ", she thought, pushing her prey forcefully onto Lucifer's bed.  

The man in question landed heavily on the bed, continuing to fix Mazikeen, divided between his fears and his growing desire. The demon stood before him, dominating him with all her height. She snatched up her own leather dress with one hand, startling her prey. A subtle demonstration of her strength had the gift of impressing and frightening them. The demon let out a mocking laugh at the shocked look of the man lying on the black silk blanket. The dim light of the room accentuated the frightening and desirable aspect of Maze. Still wearing her stiletto heels, she climbed sensuously on the bed, her prey backing gently as she walked towards him, still standing on the silky blankets. He swallowed and watched the demon slowly raise her leg to rest her heel against the prominent bump deforming his pants. She gently pressed her hell against the sensitive area, causing a long and languorous moan in her victim. She smiled and pressed a little more. The man threw his head back, pushing a hoarse rattle.  

" Look at me! ", she thundered in an imperious voice.  

He obeyed, cheeks reddened by desire and suffocating a little more with each pressure against his crotch. The demon still dominated him with all her might. She was only wearing a black lace thong and a scalloped bra of the same fabric. Her dark, silky hair fell cascadingly around her fine face. No mortal weak in his flesh could resist her.  

As desirable as a succubus, but oh so formidable... 

" Am I hurting you? ", she asked him in a much softer voice.  

He nodded imperceptibly, panting. Maze gave him an innocent smile and gently raised her heel to forcefully press it close to his crotch. Her prey closed his eyes and uttered a cry in which pain and desire mixed. The demon let out a crystalline laugh before this delightful sight. The man stood up hard on his forearms and stared at her, still panting.  

" If you want me to stop... you have to ask me... _very_ nicely...", muttered Maze, gently tugging the groin of her heel.  

" St... Stop...", he gasped in a breath.  

The demon pinched her lips before pushing her heel against the sensitive crotch again. Her prey uttered a shriek of surprise.  

" Better than that! ", she said in a loud voice.  

" Pl...Please... Stop...", he begged her between two groans.  

Maze closed her eyes with ecstasy on hearing this simple word.  

_Please..._  

This word missed her since she left Hell! Without forgetting the supplicating and tearful tone that accompanied it. This word sounded like a sweet melody in the ears of the demon. She smiled and raised her heel. Her prey relaxed on a long sigh of relief. He thought he had finished with the strange and unpleasant part, but... only Mazekeen decided the outcome and the path taken.  

Nobody else... 

She crouched down gently in front of him and sat down on his muscular chest, continuing to dominate him. She wasn't in a submissive and cuddly mood tonight. She sought the painful and violent passion. Maze stroked the inside of the neck of her conquest with the tip of her nails and slowly descended it until tearing the shirt with a sharp blow, revealing the well-built torso offered at her pleasure. The man gave her a greedy smile and stood up on his arms, seeking the touch of her fleshy lips. The demon gently grabbed her victim's chin between her fingers and thrust him violently against the mattress.  

She alone decided whether to kiss or not. 

She bit her own lower lip between her white teeth, overwhelmed by the pleasure that this little game gave her. Always with the tip of her nails, she stroked the top of the muscular torso, accentuating the pressure until scratching the flesh as her hand was descending towards the area mainly concerned by this carnal activity. The man moaned more and more strongly as the demon accentuated the pressure of her nails on his sensitive skin.  

" Let the game begin...", she whispered in a soft voice, leaning her face towards his.  

 

\--------------------------

 

An unusual rumble, but oh so recognizable for Maze, reverberated throughout her being, her body clenching against that of the man lying beneath her.  

" What's wrong? ", she thought she heard ask as curled up on herself, trembling.  

The rumbling filled her body and increased in power, causing painful waves striking her nerves. Maze screamed and curled up in a ball, her jaw clenched. It was like being stung by white-hot needles... Stung from the inside by thousands of burning and vibrating needles of a harmful and sickening energy... Even for a demon. She stiffened again under the pain filling her whole body. Maze felt her skin literally bristle and resume its usual color.  

Usual... in Hell.  

Purulent and yellowish blisters now sprinkled her thin hands, curved like sharp claws. Her skin was glowing with the Flames of Hell, over the purulent and rebellious wounds covering her whole body. Her silky hair faded, becoming white and as thin as cobwebs. A wave of energy more powerful than the previous one shook the inside of her body and she clamped her claws on the blanket, tearing it with a sharp blow. Struggling with these unpleasant sensations, the demon vaguely felt the man at her side straightened up quickly and left the bed stumbling. He disappeared into the elevator, screaming in fear. She opened her eyes now black and opaque, sighing loudly in frustration. The wave and rumbling decreased significantly until disappeared completely, leaving her panting on the tattered sheets.  

Maze let her breath calm down and snorted like a dog shaking to clumsily dry his coat. With this gesture, she wiped out all demonic trace of her appearance, thus becoming a simple strange woman in the eyes of the world. She rolled on her back and stared at the ceiling of the room, still shaken by this demonic emanation. And shaken by what it involved.  

**_Alü..._**  

Each demon responded imperceptibly to the presence of an another demon on Earth. All the more so when the so-called demon used his full powers. This resulted in that rumbling and disgusting energy Maze had suffered earlier. This experience was all the more unpleasant when it came to Alu. This left an acrid and bitter taste on her hypersensitive palate... very unpleasant and difficult to erase.  

Maze knew that Alu could only be invoked by Lucifer.  

But...Why?  

Didn't he know that this would have disastrous consequences on his physical conditions – considering his new mortal state? She had already seen Lucifer invoke this inferior demon through his ring. In Hell. In full possession of his powers. Immortal and purged of all human emotions. At that time, however, this action brought about a rather significant weakness in the Lord of Darkness. Although Alü was a low-class servant, he had to feed on demonic energy to grow and act effectively. A painful and exhausting process regardless of his condition, even for the Prince of Darkness.  

So here... On Earth... Being mortal... 

Maze swallowed hard, an anguish sneakily filling her entrails. She straightened up quickly and got out of the bed, searching frantically for clothes. She quickly donned a black top with lace edges of the same-color and leather-tight trousers.  

She quickly descended the marbled steps of the room to join the living room. She had to move fast and focus.  

Using a demon here could only mean one thing... 

Lucifer was in trouble.  

Or at least, in a very delicate situation. She knew him well enough that he would only use the ring and his powers as a last resort. The last of the last resort. This basic invocation could easily kill him. If he was healthy. The demon didn't even imagine the consequences in case of serious injuries.  

There were a good chance it would be to protect that detective. Maze sniffed in disgust. Risk as much for a bland human... 

But that was the only plausible explanation. Lucifer was now obsessed with this _Decker_. Knowing her in mortal danger could have urged her master to invoke an inferior demon. Foolish, but predictable.  

Maze stopped in the middle of the room, not far from the piano and closed her eyes. She took a deep breath and expired slowly, relaxing all her muscles and her mind. She focused on the sweet and spicy taste that Lucifer usually left on his wake. The demonic and oppressive emanation of the Devil. Extremely powerful and heady, even on Earth.  

She sought for his essence and... only felt emptiness.  

Maze frowned, her eyes still closed and tried to capture the essence of her master. The latter could block  Mazikeen's powers, of course... but he'd known that invoking Alü would alert his bodyguard, right? Why continue blocking his demonic emanations in this case? That made no sense! None! The demon uttered an annoyed sight. This situation took a very strange turn. And that didn't please her at all!  

Making a change of direction, she focused on the bitter-sweet essence of the inferior demon. Lucifer was to be near Alü. It was a logical deduction. And yet... Mazekeen couldn't locate the central point of this energy. Yet, she had felt it reverberate in her flesh! She could still feel small traces of his energy in her, but... as to accurately relocate it... 

Something blocked her in the process. And it certainly wasn't Lucifer. Impossible. It was different. She felt "pushed back" whenever she approached the goal. Pushed back by what? She would have liked to know!  

The demon clenched her fists in frustration, distraught by her impotence. She had to try to find Lucifer. What to do? Search every square inch of this damn city? Far too long. Call the police? Option completely useless and ridiculous. What would she told them?  

_"I felt a strange demonic emanation but I can't sniff its exact position... a little help, please? "_  

No, no and no. Option refused.  

Amenadiel? 

Maze pinched her lips, divided. As long as she managed to avoid this feathered jerk, she tended to enjoy her days much better. Yet he had admitted earlier not to feel Lucifer's presence. He wouldn't be very useful, so... except to lecture her about not taking him seriously. Nevertheless, not knowing what she was going to embark on, having an angel by her side could always be useful. She was reluctant to team up with him again. The last attempt at collaboration had turned into a fiasco. For both. Maze sighed again, resigned.  

She raised her hands, hesitant, before joining them, palm against palm. She closed her eyes, sceptical.  

_"_ _Amenadiel_ _...Hello? "_  

She felt ridiculous. Could a demon only contact an angel as well? Lucifer was the exception to the rule, due to his former condition of Archangel. She persisted, however, ignoring the ridiculous.  

_" Am...Maybe you were right earlier...Lucifer might be in danger. If you care a little bit about your brother...Come on! "_  

Nothing came. Either he didn't hear her or he didn't care. After all, his job was to bring Lucifer back to Hell, not to protect him. Maze lowered her arms, groaning in frustration while staring at the ceiling of an eye murderer. She had only one option left... focus on Chloe. Find her – Lucifer had to be near her – by more conventional means.  

She grabbed her black leather jacket on the couch and slipped on it quickly. She raised her eyes to the ceiling while releasing the strands of hair stuck in the neck of her jacket.  

" If you stop sulking one day...", she said this time out loud. "...I'll be looking for a way to save Lucifer! "  

She walked over the elevator and rushed into the cabin. She had one solution.  

One solution... 

And it sounded with " _Douche_ ".

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comment? Yes...No? XD


	8. Literally speaking

Dan awoke with a start in the dark and took a moment to remember where he was.  

Only the screen of the television illuminated the room plunged in the darkness. Daniel sat up in the sofa and rubbed his eyes vigorously, hoping to make disappear the last traces of Morpheus of his pupils. He sat down properly and massaged the back of his painful neck as he yawned. He was exhausted and wished only one thing: a good bed to end his night. A wish difficult to fulfill since the only bed in the house was occupied by a particularly adorable little monkey when she slept. The bed was too small for him anyway. And he didn't want to disturb his little girl for his only well-being. Backache and a micro-sleep were part of the role of parents. Not to mention the supply of chocolate cakes... 

Dan looked at the half-open door leading to Trixie's room, watching for the slightest suspicious sound. There was only the calm of the night. He sighed and groped for the remote control on the coffee table. He found it after a few seconds of blind search and turned off the screen, plunging the room in total darkness. Dan put the remote control back on the cabinet before extending more comfortably over the entire area offered by the cheap Chloe's sofa. He moved, looking for a pleasant position that wouldn't cause him premature sciatica. He closed his eyes and tried to regain sleep. Sleep difficult to find à this moment, his mind drifting on the reasons causing him to finish his night on a dingy sofa.  

Chloe had again accepted a complex investigation at the last minute and was still working overtime, forcing Dan to watch over Trixie while _madam_ chased the wicked with his wacky acolyte. Of course, Dan was always thrilled to spend time with his little monkey, but screwing his back on a couch tended to reflect his parent's ardor. He hoped to get up the next morning to get Trixie to school.  

Dan straightened the cushions under his skull and sighed again, exhausted. He didn't understand why Chloe was spending three-quarter of her time with this weirdo... Honestly! Who was supposed to have fun calling himself Lucifer Morningstar? Even in Los Angeles, such a name was really strange. All the more so if you assert as a bonus the Devil himself. This guy would need a thorough psychological assessment. And in spite of that, Chloe worked with him, put her life in his uncertain and potentially disturbed hands. Dan really didn't understand the motives pushing his ex to trust this individual.  

Being split, he no longer had much to say about Chloe's private and professional dating. But the fact that Lucifer was approaching  so closely Trixie still bothered him. He had a very bad influence on his daughter.  

_Listen to your desires...Do what you like..._  

Very good advice for an eight-year-old, really! Very pedagogue! True lessons of life, very useful, full of morality and justice. The bedtime's stories had to learn from him: Lucifer knew better than anyone else the important values to be inculcated in a child.  

_Asshole..._  

Dan sat on the flank, grumbling at the same time with frustration and discomfort. This Morningstar was a walking wound at best. As mature and responsible as a pine cone could be... if not more! Quite upset and exhausted, Dan looked at the alarm clock on the coffee table. Twenty past three o'clock... 

He sighed again and made up his mind to calm down. Sleeping a few more hours wouldn't be a bad idea. He let his bubbling spirit soak up the ambient silence and the warmth of the room. His body relaxed slowly as sleep gained ground.  

Morpheus's arms suddenly retracted, disturbed by an indistinct noise from the kitchen. Dan frowned, but kept his eyes stubbornly closed. He just wanted to sleep... Just a little. The noise became more insistent, accompanied by other ones. Dan opened his eyes, all trace of sleep disappeared. He froze in the sofa, listening. Sounds of footsteps echoed in his ears. It couldn't be Trixie... 

Slowly, he moved his hand toward the drawing-room table and looked for his service weapon. His fingers finally met the polished surface of the gun, with a firm grip on the weapon grip. Dan straightened up as quietly as possible in the sofa and looked cautiously toward the kitchen. The whole room was still plunged into darkness, like the living room. He could nevertheless distinguish a shadow to be painted in the ambient darkness. A human shadow. He couldn't have been more precise. The intruder was obviously searching the kitchen.  

Dan swallowed and tried to calm his breath. He couldn't act thoughtlessly with his daughter a few meters away. He had to be careful. Don't rush or report his presence to the person currently in the back of the room. Still slowly, he slipped from the sofa and crouched on the flooring, barefoot. He tightened his grip around his service weapon before carefully got around the couch and reaching the  wall adjacent to it, leading to the kitchen. He pressed his curved back to the cold wall and went along it as quietly as possible until reaching the corner leading to the open kitchen and the lobby. Dan stopped and risked a quick glance across de corner.  

The person – still hard to identify in the dark – turned her back on him. She seemed to search and quietly observed the cooking utensils. Strange attitude from a burglar. There was nothing of value in a kitchen... 

Dan removed the safety lock from his gun and pointed it with confidence towards the intruder. The characteristic noise of the safety lock disturbed the ambient calm. The intruder froze but not mean turned around. Dan hold him at gunpoint and groped for the switch of the room.  

" Freeze...", he said, on his guard.  

His fingers met the switch and actuated it as the intruder gently turned towards him. A gentle light flooded the room and illuminated Dan's shocked face and Maze's mocker face.  

" No pink pajamas, tonight? ", she asked him, a mocking smile on her lips.  

 

\-----------------------

 

 

Maze kept quietly smiling at the _Detective Douche_ – Lucifer loved to call him so...Did he even have a name? - and waited patiently for him to lower his weapon. He did nothing, just staring at her with whiting eyes and still threatening her with his gun. The demon looked around her, intrigued by this human habitat. Why did they have so many things in a kitchen? She had a hard time understanding how they worked. Desire, sex, pain... she managed these notions and took advantage of them. The rest... let her quite sceptical.  

She looked back at the man a few feet away from her. His brown hair was still ruffled by sleep and his eyes were marked with dark circles. A nascent beard adorned the bottom of his clenched jaw. He wore a faded blue t-shirt and a gray jog. Detective Douche – alias Dan – blinked several times: a ridiculous way of making sure he wasn't dreaming perhaps. Maze drew the conclusion that he didn't often see beautiful brunettes walking quietly in his kitchen at night.  

_" A real virgin..."_ , she thought, folding her arms on her chest, still waiting for a verbal reaction from Dan.  

The latter opened his mouth to immediately close it, puzzled. Mazekeen curved an eyebrow, slowly losing patience. She had no time for this nonsense. Truly not. The detective lowered his weapon and seemed to regain the power of speech:  

" What the hell are you doing here?! ", he exclaimed, his face expressing both anger and total incomprehension.  

Maze sighed loudly and walked around the kitchen, catching and inspecting dragging on the furniture.  

" I need you...", she said resting an eccentric timer near the microwave.  

She turned to Dan who looked confused. Humans were so slow! She felt like she had to use simple words to be understood. Dan put his gun on the furniture and leaned against it. He looked towards the living room before gave her a dirty look.  

" And that gives you the right to break into my house in the middle of the night?! ", he let out in a breath.  

" Technically... It isn't your home... It's your ex's one...", rectified the demon, kindly smiling at him.  

 The Detective Douche pinched his lips and sighed loudly before continuing:  

" My home... hers.... It's the same: you can't do that, alright?! " 

She shrugged her shoulders, indifferent. Respecting humans manners... What next! Cooking? She patted the polished wood of the furniture with her nails, annoyed.  

" Lucifer still hasn't come back. He's probably with Chloe. I was worried, so I thought I'd see you... You can find them? ", she asked him peacefully.  

She had prepared this little speech before arriving at Chloe's. To tell him the truth would only slow things down. Maze knew that perfectly. Demonic and supernatural details didn't mix with humans. More specifically with the morons of the breed. The concerned douche frowned, confused.  

" You couldn't just call him? ", he asked.  

" Lucifer doesn't have a mobile phone... There's something wrong, okay?! He never came back so late from an investigation with his _beloved detective_...", she got excited.  

She approached him and continued in a pressing voice:  

" You know how to find them, right? " 

Dan sighed but she could well see that she awoke his concern. She almost could see the thoughts pass in his eyes. He seemed to be split between the desire to swing her in jail for the rest of the night and check her words. The demon hoped he would choose the second option. Escaping from a cell was simple for her, but it would waste more time. Time that Lucifer didn't have. She was sure. The detective, still struggling with the various options available to him, seemed unwilling to give her a quick answer. Maze sighed and inspected the living room. She saw every detail of the decoration as if it were in broad daylight. A standard demon gift.  

" You changed the place couch, didn't you? ", she asked him, breaking the silence that had set in for a few minutes.  

" What? "  

Dan stared at her without understanding. The demon pointed to the living room and the furniture concerned.  

" The last time I came to kill Chloe, the sofa was at the other end of the living room, near the glass door...", she explained.  

Dan widened his eyes, stunned. He blinked several times before exclaiming:  

" Come to kill C... ** _WHAT?!_** " 

" Daddy...What's going on? Who do you talk with? ", asked a sleepy little voice.  

They both turned towards Trixie. The latter watched them with her puffy eyes of sleep, dragging her plush with one hand. She smiled brightly at Maze, who gladly returned. She appreciated this small human. She had a unique vision of the things that surrounded her. A bit like Maze.  

" Maze! What are you doing here? ", asked the girl, fully awake.  

Dan crouched at the height of his daughter, turning his back to the demon. He gently caressed the child's cheek and asked in a soft voice :  

" Why aren't you in bed, monkey? Return to bed, come on! It's still too early..." 

Trixie choked a yawn under her hand before explaining In a calm voice:  

" I am thirsty! "  

The detective Douche sighed before getting up. He turned to Maze, glaring at her. He sighed again before exclaiming :  

" You, you stay here! Give her a drink while I make a few phone calls... The sooner I contact Chloe, the sooner you get away! ", he mumbled between his teeth. " Can you do that? " 

Maze nodded in affirmation. Dan looked again at his daughter and the demon, undecided. He finally got away in the living room, leaving Trixie and Maze alone. Trixie swayed slightly from front to back on her feet, continuing to stare at the demon with an air of wonder. She eventually approached her to hoist herself on a high chair in the kitchen, still fixing the new arrival.  

" Can you give me a drink, please? ", asked the little one.  

Maze shrugged and walked over to the fridge. She was a bartender after all. It wasn't a problem for her to do this. She inspected the contents of the fridge and pulled out two fresh beers. The demon decapsulated the beers with her teeth under the astonished gaze of the child and handed one to the latter. Trixie cautiously took it in her hands. Maze leaned over to the kitchen cabinet in front of Trixie, beer in hand.  

"So...What's up? ", she asked her.  

" I have a boyfriend! ", proudly announced the little girl, rosy cheeks of excitement.  

Maze arched her eyebrows, puzzled. A boyfriend? Decidedly, this little one was amazing. Hold a man in her power at this age... Impressive. She smiled at her and took a sip before asking:  

" Is he good in bed? "  

The girl stared at her without understanding.  

" What does that mean? " 

Mazekeen straightened up a little and looked at her without saying anything for a few seconds, sceptical.  

" Sex... you don't do this with your boyfriend? " , the demon insisted.  

Trixie frowned, even more intrigued and shook her head vigorously as a sign of negation. Maze sighed in disappointment. A relationship without sex... Inconceivable. Useless. Boring. And so disappointing. She glanced at the detective Douche, still hanging on his cell phone and pacing near the sofa.  

" What's sex? ", asked the little one, curious.  

Maze drank another sip of alcohol before answering distractedly:  

" Ask your father... Perhaps he remember... Who knows? " 

 

\-----------------------------

 

 

**_" You're on Chloe Decker's voicemail. I'm not here now. If it's for a_** ** _profession_** ** _al_** **_bus_** ** _iness, you can contact me at_** ** _th._** ** _.."_**  

Dan hung up before the end of the message and quickly dialed Chloe's fixed telephone number at the police station. He paced in the living room as the tone resounded tirelessly in his ear. At the end of the thirtieth, he hung up and swore.  

It wasn't normal. Mazekeen was right. Something was wrong. Chloe always made sure she was reachable during an investigation. She was a mother. This was a sufficient explanation for her telephone availability at all hours of the day and night. A habit quickly adopted by parents all over the world.  

Dan once again dialed the mobile phone number of his ex and fell again on her voicemail. He hung up and paced, thinking at full speed. How to find her? How? He quickly dialed a phone number and continued to walked nervously around the sofa to the sounds of the tones.  

" **_Hello.._**.", answered a sleepy voice.  

" Marcus! This is Dan Espinoza. I need you to retrace the position of a mobile phone for me, it's very urgent! "  

" **_Okay... Give_** ** _the number : I'll_** ** _do_** ** _this at supersonic speed!_** ", answered his colleague, much more alert.  

He gave Chloe's complete phone number and waited on the line, more and more nervous as the minutes passed. If Chloe was hurt or worse... He tried to calm down. Panicking would be useless and would certainly not help the mother of his child. After a few minutes that seemed to him years, Marcus's voice rang out.  

**_" I managed to get you the last position recorded before the deactivation of her SIM_** ** _card... I_** ** _don't know if it can help you..."_**  

"Send it to me! ", Dan stopped him, taking a pen and a piece of paper on the living room table.  

He scribbled quickly the approximate address that had managed to find Marcus. He thanked the latter before hanging up quickly and heading steadily towards the kitchen, the crumpled paper in hand.  

He froze for a moment on seeing Mazekken and Trixie cheerfully talking at the table, each having a bear in her hand.  

_" What_ _th._ _..! "_  

Trixie brought the neck of the bottle to her lips and he rushed to her, clutching his daughter's arm. He grabbed the undrank bottle – fortunately – and rested it on the polished wood counter.  

"Nonononono , Trixie'babe!  This...It's an adult drink! ", he said calmly, casting a hateful look at the young brunette.  

This woman was as irresponsible as Lucifer. He would never have thought it possible. The damage they had both to cause when they were in the same room... He drew a few centimeters away from his daughter's alcoholic beverage before informing Maze :  

" There's indeed something suspicious! I was able to trace Chloe's route to an abandoned area north of the city. It's not far from the National Five.... around Nevada Avenue..."  

Dan saw Maze stand up quickly and start with a decided step  towards the front door. He stepped ahead and blocked access to the main door, forcing the young woman to stop in front of him. The latter glared at him and tried to bypass him without success. He held her gaze and said in a decided voice :  

" I'm coming with you! "  

She sighed loudly as she rolled her eyes and crossed her arms against her breast, gauging him.  

" I work better alone...", she retorted, trying to clasp the door handle, unsuccessfully.  

" This isn't negotiable! " 

She gave him a murderer look before shrugging her shoulders as a sign of surrender. Dan allowed himself a victorious smile before approaching his daughter, still sitting on the chair. He stroked her hair affectionately and looked into hers :  

" Monkey, I'm gonna have to help Mom... I'll take you to the police station and a very good friend to me is gonna take care of you in the meantime, okay? "  

" Mom has trouble? ", asked Trixie, anxious.  

"No, Darling... She just need a hand. And like that, she'll be able to get home early and bring you a good breakfast, right? What would make you happy? "  

" Chocolate cake! ", exclaimed the little girl, delighted.  

Dan smiled and kissed his daughter on the forehead before sending her to her room. He waited until she rushes into it before turning to Maze, remained strangely silent since a while ago.  

Maze had simply disappeared, leaving behind her only a half-open door and a slight current of air sweeping the detective's bare feet.  

Dan has just been brushed off.  

Literally speaking. 


	9. Widely preferable

The darkness surrounded him. 

It encircled him, caressing his skin in a disgusting and a disagreeable manner. Wrapping itself around his limbs, scarifying his flesh, turning him into an abomination.  

A soiled being. Foul.  

This is what awaited him for Eternity.  

The stain of the Soul. Of His Light. The most brilliant of Heaven.  

Stained forever.  

He widened his eyes with terror, contorting in every direction to escape his fate while knowing pertinently that he couldn't change it. He looked around him as the darkness continued to wrap around his bruised body, searching desperately for help.  

 _No..._ _Father... Please_ _... I_ _beg_ _you..._  

The sinuous darkness fused with his flesh, his body immobilized under the onslaught of their evil power. His nerves burned with an icy, yet destructive fire at their touch. He opened his mouth, wanting to scream, but nothing came out.  

Even that was now taken away. The expression of his pain.  

He saw his flesh blackened and gradually transformed... slowly... adding more suffering to his torture. His alabaster skin faded and turned into a reddish, bloated flesh... burned and scarified.  

That was it. He was burned. Scarified. Mercilessly.  

He saw with horreur the Darkness creep into his neck and along his jaw. He raised his head to the sky, hoping to find a way out.  

But there was nothing here. Only the darkness.  

He felt his muscles freeze under the silent and yet destructive assault, the dark flames gently encircling his face... creeping into his pupils, turning them into two opaque orbs.  

He couldn't have described what he felt at that moment. Everything was beyond mere pain. Well beyond. It was unbearable. Cold and burning at the same time. Gentle and violent. Slow and fast. Painful and pleasant... 

Was he sinking into madness?  

Nothing made sense. The sensations became entangled in his tortured mind, increasing his torture. Among all these contradictory sensations, he felt the Darkness fill his Soul, gorging itself with his Bright Light. Light sliding in opaque and disgust blackness. Blackness reverberating throughout his being.  

His body bent under the shock, his black eyes widening a little more, his mouth wide open in a silent supplication.  

 _Make it stop... Please..._  

He felt the Darkness coming out of his body, continuing to slide slowly over the entirety of his skin. His pupils became white again and he watched as the flames wrapped around his right arm and down to his hand.  

He could only observe, powerless. Paralyzed.  

The Darkness surrounded his hand and then converged at an astonishing speed around his ring finger, stiffened under attack. He felt his whole arm stretch under the new assault, the breathless by so much power. The tornado of flames gained in speed, warming the tortured finger to white.  

He closed his eyes and clenched his jaw beneath the pain.  

He wanted it to stop. Death seemed preferable to all that he underwent at the moment. Was it a moment? It seemed much longer than that... longer than Eternity.  

With his eyes obstinately closed, he felt his body relax and fall. He opened his eyes again, lost. The Flames which had assailed him until now had disappeared, freeing him from their fetters.  

He was pursuing his Fall beyond the Veil...to an unknown place.  

He place he didn't want to know.  

Daze, the air whistling around him, he looked around as his body continued his descent into the Darkness. He shrugged imperceptibly, hoping to wake his Wings and stop his Fall.  

Once again, they proved useless. Amorphous against his flanks sheared by the cutting air.  

He clenched his jaw and closed his eyes again, a vain and desperate attempt to prepare himself for the end of this never-ending fall.  

His back met the ground roughly and a deafening crackling sounded around him, the surrounding earth cracking under the impact of the Fallen Archangel. He felt his lungs empty under the impact, his whole body tensing under the pain. His eyes still closed, he managed to breath a few gulps of air. A thick, nauseating, stifling air.  

He coughed, suffocating for a moment before resuming a fluid breath, though slightly chopped. Slowly, with a tiny precaution, he undertook to move every painful part of his anatomy. He felt the ground crack a little more with each movement, his body being until then deeply trapped in this one.  

He managed to stand up on his painful knees, panting. He kept his head down, catching his breath. The nauseating air continued to fill his raw lungs. His hands were crippled on his thighs, again as clear as the alabaster. An apparent whiteness... containing the worst abomination and corruption that exists.  

His lips trembled slightly an a knot formed in his throat, which was drained by the suffocating air of the place. He raised his head gently, a dull fear hugging his entrails.  

All was desolation around him. Chaos. Nothingness. No Light. Only the Darkness and the Flames without heat. Ashes were twirling endlessly in the air, until they had settled down on the ground and on his hunched shoulders.  

Hell.  

That was where he was condemned to reign. Condemned to Darkness. In all its forms.  

He lowered his eyes and stared at his right hand, still on his thigh. He fixed for a long time the onyx stone adorning from now one his ring finger. He stared at it, unable to take his eyes from the ring.  

A symbol. A mark nominating him to everyone as a perjury. A personified blasphemy. A monster. Darkness united in one single and terrifying being.  

Marked for Eternity... 

He clenched his fist forcefully, whitening the knuckles of his marked hand. He raised his head, howling with rage...with despair...with sadness. 

A howl that tears the chaos around.  

 

\-------------------------

 

Cold...Movements...Pain.... 

Where was he? What was he doing there?  

Lucifer tried to put words on what he felt. The pain was still there, flaming in his leg and hand.  

He vaguely remembered a plausible reason for this pain. Which? Each time he approached the answer, his mind diverged in a completely different direction. Everything tangled in his mind. The memories, the sensations, the pain... 

Lucifer was lost in the midst of this tornado. He didn't have the strength to focus, to analyze each concept one by one. All he wanted was rest. Do not fell any more.  

Sleep.  

But...wasn't that what he was already doing?  

His body was as heavy as lead and no longer responded to any instructions. He felt vaguely swinging with jerky movements, intensifying the pain in his injured limbs. A movement more abrupt than the previous ones snatched a groan of pain from him.  

" Shit! You think he wakes up? " 

Lucifer was confused. Who could this voice be? Unless the detective had hidden things from her genetic code, it couldn't be her.  

The darkness surrounded him again, leaving his question unanswered.  

 

 -------------------------------

 

"...tie him up? " 

" N...No need....without...p...owers....not a threat..."  

Lucifer felt a new tremor shake his whole body, awakening by this movement the rest of his senses. The whispers gained power until they became distinct voices around him.  

" Anyway...with or without power...it would be better to tie him up, right?  ", asked an anxious voice behind him.  

He felt hands gripping him and turning him roughly on his stomach. Lucifer felt a cold, metallic surface against his cheek. He clung to this sensation, an anchor in the mist that surrounded him and paralyzed his mind. This cold contact was almost comforting to him. A soft caress against his raw skin. His arms were tied behind his back unceremoniously, and Lucifer groaned in protest. A weak grunt...pathetic and ridiculous. He felt the rough contact of strings wrap tightly around his wrists, trapping them at the level of his kidneys.  

Lucifer slowly opened his eyes, trying to dispel the misty landscape that lay open him and clear his confused mind. Human shadows were moving around him. He frowned, puzzled. He blinked several times, trying to clarify what surrounded him. The blurred contours became more precise without being totally sharp.  

From his very uncomfortable position, he gazed at the metal surfaces rising around him and beneath him.  

A car...A van. He was in a van.  

A hand grasped his shoulders and turned him over his back. Lucifer let himself go, exhausted. As amorphous as a plastic doll. Resisting wouldn't have brought him anything good anyway.  

If only he could resist... 

His entire body was ankylosed, wracked with pain. He blinked once again, haggard. Men surrounded him. Two men...He didn't know them, but wouldn’t have invited them to the Lux. He was picky about his choice of clientele. And these individuals didn't inspire confidence at all. A finding to be taken seriously when it came from the Devil himself... 

Still swayed by the shaking of the van , Lucifer felt his eyes closed again. He couldn't fight against the fatigue that assailed him at that moment.  

 

\-------------------------------

 

 

Wet...Cold... 

Lucifer really had enough of the cold. Okay, he knew that living among humans involved leaving the comforting heat of the Flames of Hell. But he would have expected Los Angeles be a pretty warm place for him and Maze. And yet, the cold followed him everywhere, sticking to his skin.  

Where was he? In a fridge?  

He wished to surround his trembling chest with his arms, but they were stuck on his back, held back by strong bonds. He vaguely remembered that he had been tied up. Why? Yet another question unanswered. To add on the list that was lengthening over time. His throat was dry and painful. He was thirsty. Exhausted. As he had never been.  

He moved his head imperceptibly, his moist temple meeting a damp, icy surface. Trembling with cold and pain, he opened his eyes. He had the impression of doing only that : open and close his eyes. It was tiring on the long run. A bright and artificial light above him attacked his retinas, forcing him to close his eyes for a moment. Once accustomed to the brightness, he distinguished a wet ground beneath him, imbibing his clothes in their entirety and causing sharp trembling at Lucifer's.  

The latter hoped to wake up – the next time he lost consciousness – in a warm, fluffy bed. With a warm body at his sides preferably. That of the detective would be welcome at the present time.  

Chloe.  

Lucifer's breathing accelerated, his eyes staring intently at the room where he was being held. No one. Except him. Chloe wasn't there. Lucifer looked around again, hoping to make her appear before him, safe and sound. Nothing happened. He was still alone, wounded and cold on the ground in this unknown and unreliable place...even for the Prince of Darkness.  

" Bloody Hell...Where are you, Detective? ", he whispered, a stifling anxiety imprisoning his already painful lungs.  

He tried to collect the scattered pieces of his memory, hoping to give some sense to his precarious situation and reassure himself about the fate of his partner. He remembered the warehouse...a man...Chloe being strangled before his eyes and then... 

The ring.  

Alü.  

Lucifer let out a long sigh. He now understood the reason of his fatigue. Fatigue that had really nothing to do with this mortal wounds. It was beyond that. Well beyond. Alü had fed on his evil energy, the equivalent of blood to humans. He could be thankful to awaken in this room and not in the midst of the Black Flames of Hell.  

Though at this precise moment, he would have preferred the heat of the Underground. Lucifer literally couldn't keep his teeth from chattering, his body being traversed by uncontrollable tremors. He really felt terrible. Nauseous, freezing, exhausted. Could a human being have experienced all this at the same time and not succumb? Death seemed clearly preferable. Faster, at least. Lucifer clenched his jaw and tried to regulate his wheezing.  

He had to find Chloe. Get out of here. Protect her.  

He inspected the cramped room. There was no window, only a metal door a few meters from him. He could always try to reach it. Slowly...cautiously, Lucifer moved his legs ankylosed by the cold. His wounded leg rubbed against the damp ground, sending painful discharges along the sore limb of the Devil, the latter screaming in pain. He tried to catch his breath, still struck by the violence of the shock. This simple movement had left him panting, on the flank, the breathing chopped and irregular.  

The situation then appeared to him quite different. Chloe wasn't the person to be rescued. He was the one who needed help. Needed to be protected.  

And he didn't like that at all.  

 

 --------------------------------

 

Lucifer opened his eyes as he heard footsteps and a metallic rattling behind the door. He sighed. Was it the part of the movie where the gentleman was mistreated by the villain? Could they not jump this part of the intrigue and let him die of cold? This would require much less effort. To both sides. And much less messy. Lucifer didn't really want to ruin another part of his expensive clothes. He was seriously thinking of coming in sportswear for the next investigation...if there where any next.  

Hands raised him on his legs, legs dropping instantly under his weight. Lucifer groaned sharply and closed his eyes, hoping to lessen the dizziness that assailed him. He felt the bile rising up his throat and throwed up.  

" _Well...This is new.._.", he thought at the same time as outraged exclamations resounded around him.  

He felt vaguely dragged, his feet slipping lamentably against the ground, out of the cramped room through dark corridors. His leg threw him atrociously with these movements and he sincerely hoped that he would be killed quickly. He was so tired... 

Lucifer let his head flutter at the whim of the men who were half-carrying him. He had no strength to protest or fight against their firm grip. They went through other dimly lit and poorly maintained corridors before stopping in front of another metal door. One of the men let go of Lucifer, the latter resting with all his weight on the other man who clenched his stiffened arm, and opened the door. He helped his colleague to drag their wounded prisoner to the center of the room to unleash him on the filthy floor. Lucifer collapsed miserably against it, testing the dust covering the ground beneath him with his cracked lips. He didn't even protest. At least they no longer dragged him as a common sack of potatoes.  

The room was also illuminated with an artificial light, which was painful for his retinas. The ground was dusty, of course, but dry. A good point. Still lying on his stomach, Lucifer heard footsteps around him. Shoes appeared in his field of vision, brand shoes. Not as luxurious as his, but an honorable choice for a hoodlum. Curious to know the identity of the owner, he looked up at him and opened his eyes in surprise.  

" It's been a long time...Lucifer. " 

" Not long enough...", said Lucifer in a groan.  

And for once, the cold and dampness of the dungeon where he had hitherto been detained seemed clearly preferable to what awaited Lucifer.  

Widely preferable. 


	10. Alastor

The glass debris creaked slightly under Maze's heels as the latter skirted the rugged car of her Master.  

She touched the dented body with her fingers before forcefully pressing her fist into it, leaving a gaping hole under the impact. She passed a hand through her long hair, wet with the icy rain, and uttered an angry grunt. There was no trace of Lucifer. Not an odor, nothing. There is no olfactory or visual evidence to guide her in her research.  

Mazekeen was distraught at not feeling anything in the air since she had detected Alü's presence. She felt completely naked... and not in the fun way. It was the first time that her powers of demon were lacking. At that very moment, being human seemed all the more as a serious handicap in her eyes. A fatal handicap. She sniffled hard the moist air that surrounded the scattered debris of the car, hoping to find a tiny essence that would guide her in the right direction. She felt a lot of things, but in a much more jerky and ephemeral way. She felt like she was going back thousands of years ago. When Lucifer had created her in the Flames of Hell. It had taken some time to subdue her capricious faculties. It had taken her a few hundred years to become one with them. She had to concentrate more, that's all. Use her powers in a deeper, roundabout way...Her olfactive abilities seemed to be hampered, but it operated at different levels. More complex to invoke.  

But the demon wouldn't shrink back to find Lucifer...and Chloe...eventually.  

Maze closed her eyes and took a deep breath, focusing on the emanations around her. She no longer heard the rain fall softly on the deserted street, nor the wind sweeping her legs. There was only her breathing. Maze expired slowly, emptying her lungs to the maximum before filling them with air again. Still slowly, she slightly spread the arms of her body, palms upward. The demon gently waved her fingers, as if playing with invisible threads, touching them, sliding her long fingers along their length. Slowly. With a delicacy that had never been suspected. An imperceptible wave of energy shook the ambient air. A kind of deep and soft echo.  

Mazekeen brought her hands back to her sides and opened her eyes. Hundred of thousands of multicolore 

d threads surrounded her and occupied the entire deserted street. They intertwined, followed each other, prolonged in every direction, forming a complex and magnificent picture. A rainbow of threads. Each thread represented an essence peculiar to each individual who passed through this street. Those of humans were more dull and bland, while others threads had a distinctly colored clarity. A blinding light clarity for celestial beings and a more perforated luminescence for demonic beings.  

That of Lucifer was a perfect cross between these two extremes. A solid thread of a brilliant white on which interlaced filaments more dark. Maze looked around, looking for that particular essence. She finally saw the thread of her Master closed to the ground, at the level of what was once the passenger seat. She squatted to its height and frowned. It was Lucifer's essence... but the appearance was quite unusual. The filament was translucent. Low. Maze swallowed hard, her throat tied by anxiety. She couldn't tell if it meant that Lucifer was in a very bad state or whether it was related to the thing that blocked her abilities, hiding her perceptions. Despite its translucent appearance, the thread remained there and seemed to cross the street all the way up to an opposite point. The demon followed its trajectory until she saw a sort of dilapidated warehouse a little further on. The thread went in a straight line inside the building, across the broken wooden door. A body was lying a few centimeters from the entrance, a puddle of carmine blood spread all around him, blood mixing and pinking in contact with the icy rain. It was still fresh, the ferrous and powerful aroma came to titillate the hypersensitive palate of the demon.  

The latter sat up gently and waved her fine fingers in front of her. The complex entanglement of filaments immediately dissipated into a volute of translucent and multicolored smoke to disappear then completely, only leaving the rain disturbing the place. Maze staggered for a moment on her legs and held back with one hand to the rugged car behind her. She closed her eyes and breathed slowly, hoping to calm the painful pressure that gripped her sweaty temples. Using this technique was tedious for the body and mind of the demon, at the same pull as a demonic invocation for Lucifer. It wasn't comparable however, an invocation required an enormous amount of demonic energy. But Maze had lived for too long among humans and resorting to this complex process was more exhausting in an environment unreceptive to supernatural emanations. She lacked practice, that's all, and her body reminded her of it.   

She released her grip around the body and walked rapidly towards the warehouse. She glanced at the man lying at her feet. His skull was broken and dripped with blood. She detailed the rest of the body. No trace of struggle...A blitz attack. From whom? Lucifer? Decker? Or someone else...But why? Who could be this guy? Why were Lucifer and the detective here in this deserted neighborhood? She looked again at the embedded car a little farther against a wall. They had had an accident, that was certain. The why of it was a completely different story. Ans Maze needed to know more to refine her track. It would save time by eliminating the many possibilities that were jostling in her mind.  

Mazikeen stared at the corpse again, disgusted by what she was about to do. She let out a long sigh before squatting near the inexpressive face of the man lying at her feet and soaking her fingers in the carmine liquid. She grimaced with apprehension before bringing her fingers to her lips, testing the ferrous liquid. It wasn't pleasant at all. Tasting the blood of a living being during some carnal activities was something quite... erotic and exciting. But with the dead ones... it was like... licking putrefaction flesh covered with cockroaches teeming and biting every nerve of the demon. She closed her eyes again, her jaw stiffening violently. A wave of "cockroach" energy rose up her throat and exploded in her mind into a multitude of indistinct sensations and images. The last sensations of the dead one... 

 _Fear..._  

 _A hunt in the stormy night._  

 _A disturbing rumble coming from the bottom of the warehouse._  

 _A man injured on the ground._  

 _T_ _heir target._  

 _Pain..._  

The misty influx of sensations stopped, leaving the demon panting, on her knees on the wet floor. A thrill of disgust rose up her spine, causing a violent tremor in the rest of her body. Maze remained on her knees for a few moments, regulating her jerky breathing. She hated this... Torture didn't defile her in this way. She grunted, frustrated. She couldn't get anything useful from these foggy visions.  

All this for nothing!  

Humans weren't a reliable source of information. Too much instable.  

She looked at the entrance door of the warehouse. The inside of the place was plunged into darkness. It was from this warehouse that Lucifer invoked Alü, Maze was now convinced. She straightened up and entered with a determined step into the darkness. She saw every detail with incredible clarity. It was inbred for demons.  

Except Lucifer.  

He wasn't born demon, and was therefore deprived of that innate faculty in each of his creatures. He had to use this power voluntarily. This is what differentiated him from the basic demons. The Devil was a unique being. Neither totally angel nor fully demon. And even less human. A subtle blend of the three. Making him both fearsome and vulnerable. As terrifying as an archangel... as devious as a demon and... as fragile as a human. Unique. Yes... Lucifer was unique.  

Maze sincerely hoped he was still alive. She didn't want him to suffer, despite their recent claims. Nothing was more important than Lucifer. Her Master. Her Protector. As well as she was protecting him. They were united. Connected. A deeper connection than anything a human mind could grasp. There was nothing sexual or emotional... it was more complex and more precious than that. Far more. Lucifer was alive.... yes, alive. She couldn't doubt about that. She had to concentrate all her strength, all her energy to find him safe and sound. It couldn't be otherwise.  

The demon wandered among the muddy puddles and the crates piled up on both sides of the ground, on her guard. Her faculties damaged, she could fall into a trap without realizing it. She put her hands in her pockets, stroking with the thumb the hot and sharp surface of her blades. This gesture reassured her and she continued to advance further into the darkness.  

She cautiously smelled the dusty, damp air. Minimal traces of essences fluttered around her and tickled her nostrils. She closed her eyes, smelled deeply, filling her lungs with these scents. Lucifer's spicy and stunning taste momentarily filled her throat and faded away almost immediately. Maze opened her eyes quickly.  

 She was close. Lucifer's essence was far too strong here to be totally inhibited by this inexplicable blockage. Whoever or whatsoever couldn't destroy the essence of the Devil. No one could. Not completely.  

A characteristic breeze briefly caressed the bottom of her back, making her momentarily the trace of Lucifer's scent. Mazikeen pinched her lips and let out a piercing whistle as she rolled her eyes.  

" It's just now you show up? ", she exclaimed, turning quickly to the newcomer.  

Amenadiel walked slowly a few steps and replied with a nasty look.  

 

\---------------------------

 

 

Maze stared at him for a moment while absently caressing her blades hidden in her pockets. She still hesitated between gutting the angel or giving him the benefit of the doubt. She had lowered herself to ask him for help, him who had remained silent to only appear one hour later. Amenadiel perceived her reservations and raised his hands in a peaceful sign.  

" Using your blades against me would only waste precious time, you know that...", he said calmly. 

The demon smiled briefly before taking out one of her blades, which she skillfully twirled between her thin fingers, the blade producing shrill whistles in the moist air. The angel didn't shrink and didn't move an inch. He remained in his place – palms raised – staring at Mazekeen with a serene air.  

" Why should I trust you? ", she asked defiantly. " You've already betrayed me once and your mission is to bring Lucifer back to Hell. Helping him would only take you away from that purpose..." 

Amenadiel sighed and slowly lowered his hands.  

" You fell it too, don't you? ", he asked without preamble.  

Maze narrowed her eyes, not directly understanding what he was referring to.  

" That blockage...", he replied to her confused look. " This isn't normal, you know it. Neither for you nor for me. I want to find out what it as and...if for that, I have to help Lucifer, then...make it so. See this as a way of redeeming myself to you...A debt to pay..." 

She had to admit that this blockage hampered her greatly. Combining her powers with those of an angel could be useful right now. And the idea of asking the payment of a debt to a celestial being was very exciting for the demon. It was an opportunity that couldn't be denied. Maze straightened her chin and stared at Amenadiel a brief moment before advancing towards him from her feline gait.  

" Are you suggesting a kind of... truce? ", she asked gently.  

" Kind of. ", conceded the angel still motionless in front of her, awaiting her verdict. 

Mazekeen put out her blade in her pocket and held out her hand to him. Amenadiel looked at her hand and questioned her with his eyes.  

" A pact with a demon is generally signed by a kiss, but still... A handshake will do the trick. ", she explained, giving him a dazzling smile.  

The angel remained silent before holding out his hand and squeezing briefly hers. He quickly released his embrace, worried that this simple touch could affect him in somehow.  The demon gave him a mocking smile before lowering her hand. The angels were too sensitive, too pure. And they were seriously lacking in humor and spontaneity.  

Amenadiel cleared his throat noisily, still embarrassed by this brief touch and looked around him.  

" You feel something here? ", he asked her.  

" Maybe... it's quite difficult to detect but Lucifer was here. And for you? "  

Amenadiel looked around him before answering :  

" Possible... I'm not accustomed to this lack of sensations. I'm not sure what I feel, it's rather confusion...rough. " 

Maze let out a frustrated sigh before moving further into the warehouse, nearly followed by the black angel. She could hear him walking a reasonable distance behind her, not daring or wanting to approach her. She couldn't help smiling at the precautions taken by the celestial being. Their previous encounter had to disrupt him and he struggled to reconstitute his barriers of impassivity. It was quite fun to watch.  

Maze smelled the humid air, following step by step the low essence of Lucifer among the containers and crates scattered on the ground. She preferred to rely on her abilities, hindered but more reliable than those of Amenadiel. She didn't want to take the risk of trusting him. Let him live was already a great altruistic gesture from her. He couldn't ask for more right now.  

The fleeting effluvia led them to the bottom of the building where a half-open container and a few boxes piled up against the wall hindered the passage. Impatient, the demon ejected the dusty wooden boxes with a powerful kick. The crates crashed violently against the opposite wall, causing a dozen distraught rats to flee. Maze stopped near the window made opaque by the thick layer of dust and watched the ground as Amenadiel crouched beside a crushed box.  

A puddle of blood of a rather large diameter spread over a part of the moist ground. Black blood. Lucifer's blood. Mazekeen could discern weak luminous filaments dancing in the opaque liquid. She swallowed with difficulty, a thick knot clogging her throat. So much blood...Lucifer's condition was critical. He needed her. From her bodyguard. And she wasn't with him as she ought to have been. She had failed to her duty to her Lord and Master.  

" It's Lucifer's...", Amenadiel observed, a slight bitterness in his voice.  

Mazekeen strove to stay focused on the present moment, setting aside her fears to focus on the angel squatting in front of her. The latter stared intently at the puddle of blood stretched between them.  

" How do you know? ", she asked, curious.  

" This isn't visible to a demon, but it is as if the liquid was boiling...", he explained, pointing the center of the dark liquid. " This is the characteristic sizzling of Lucifer. " 

The demon nodded absently in response to his explanations. It didn't help much. She already knew that it was Lucifer's blood. It was a useful indication of his health condition but not on his present position. Even less about the cause of this persistent blockage. It was a complex act of inhibiting her abilities and Lucifer's demonic presence...the act became much more arduous when an angel's abilities were included in the problem.  

Who could do that? And why?  

Maze sniffed the air insistently as she slowly walked around the dark liquid spread out at her feet. She perceived something else. An essence closely linked to the Devil's one. An acrid taste titillated her palate and the demon let out a victorious cry that made Amenadiel jump.  

" What? " 

Mazekeen didn't answer him immediately, deeply breathing the air around her. Yes, that was his essence.  

Alü.  

" Lucifer invoked a lower demon. That's how I knew he was in trouble. He does the kind of madness only as a last record! I feel Alü's essence in there! ", she said, pointing to the blood spread out on the filthy floor.  

Amenadiel gave her a sceptical look, not seeming to understand what this essence implied. The demon sighed loudly before explaining to him in a sharp tone:  

" It's a demon trick! I can unite my blood to this one and relive the feelings and sensations of Alü. Doing this with only Lucifer's blood would have been useless. Lucifer is much more powerful than I am, it could kill me. So if his own blood is mixed with the fluids of an inferior demon...Inferior to me...Let's say it makes things easier..." 

Her explanations didn't seem to convince the angel in front of her. Maze rolled her eyes in annoyance. She really didn't have time to teach him about demons and fluid exchanges. He should be satisfied with her summary explanation. She gripped her sharp blade with a firm hand and knelt in front of the puddle of blood.  

Amenadiel had risen slightly at the sight of the demonic weapon, on his guards and watching her movements. Maze stretched her left hand – palm to the ceiling – closer to the center of the dark liquid. She gently approached her blade from her moist and trembling hand.  

" Just...Stay still! ", she ordered to the angel who was about to stop her gesture.  

He obeyed and stepped a few steps away, continuing to watch the scene with a lost look. Maze focused on her hand and clenched her teeth. She'll suffer. A lot. But it was a price she was willing to pay to save Lucifer. With a quick gesture, she cut off the flesh of her palm and applied her bloody hand on the center of the liquid at her feet.  

A low rumbling sounded from the depths of the ground. A deflagration of harmful energy pierced the mutilated palm of the demon. The latter felt her whole body arch and her head slammed back, her eyes rolling over in her head, only revealing two white and milky orbs. Her mouth opened in a mute cry. Every part of her body was struck by this demonic wave, consuming her nerves, her soul, mixing intimately with it. The rumble grew in power until it turned into a high-pitched sound, causing the window behind her to vibrate forcefully.  

She thought she heard Amenadiel screaming her name before losing herself in the blast that assailed her from all sides.  

 _Pain...Pain...Fear..._  

 _Chloe_ _..._  

 _Save...Chloe..._ _Alü_  

 _Men...Lucifer..._  

 _Van..._  

 

\---------------------------

 

 

"MAZEKEEN ! ", screamed a deep voice.  

She opened her eyes and saw a face – usually impassive – leaning aver hers, anxiety reading on it. Maze moaned before taking her head in her hands. Her fingers encountered a sticky liquid at the level of her ears. She brought them up to her eyes – confused – and stared blankly at the bright red blood staining her fingers. Not paying attention to the angel leaning on her and tirelessly repeating her name, she awkwardly wiped the blood flowing from her ears gently rejected Amenadiel. He stepped away from her and straightened up.  

" What was that? ", he asked her, distraught.  

Maze got up cautiously and winced as she felt her bruised palm throbbing against her thigh. She snatched a piece of her top to wrap it gently around her hand, biting her lower lip as the tissue stroked too abruptly her wounded skin and stained with demonic energy. A powerful headache hugged her temples and she staggered for a moment on her legs. Amenadiel started a movement towards her but held back at the last second before the evil look of the demon.  

" That's what I thought...", she whispered weakly.  

" Are you going to tell me or I'll have to guess?! ", angered the angel in front of her.  

The demon looked at the puddle of blood. There was nothing left. Just a thick, boiling smoke twirling in the air. She turned her head towards Amenadiel, exhausted and irritated by his hostility.  

" I was able to relive the memories of Alü and Lucifer in this warehouse. It was quite confusing...their essences were intimately linked but I could draw useful things from it...", she said, pressing her back against the cold surface on the container.  

" Tell me. "  

" Men were going after Lucifer. I suppose they are responsible for the  car accident. He's seriously injured, that's for sure...I felt it. ", she whispered in a trembling voice.  

Amenadiel looked at her strangely and Mazekeen thought she saw in his eyes pity. She straightened up quickly and continued in a firmer voice:  

"They took him...This asshole had invoked Alü to protect this human: Decker! He was too weak to fight them...You fool! ", she almost cried as she gave an angry kick in the container behind her. " I saw a van...There was an old inscription on it... ** _LA_** ** _Gp_**? " 

" A former electricity company. They went bankrupt about fifty years ago after the energy expansion of the rest of the city in the 1950s. " 

Maze stared at Amenabiel with a puzzled look. The latter cleared his throat, embarrassed.  

" Human History is one of my passions...", he justified, sheepishly.  

" You know where this factory is? ", she asked, quickly approaching him, all trace of fatigue dissipated.  

Amenadiel nodded and Maze almost ran towards the entrance, the angel on her heels. As she walked through the doorway, he held her by a firm grip, forcing her to stop. She turned to him while grabbing her other blade with her valid hand. What now?! There was no time for this! Amenadiel accentuated his grip around her arm and enjoined her with a simple glance to do nothing against him.  

" No rush, Maze! We need a plan...We can't go there and destroy everything with our powers! Think about the consequences..." 

" Screw that!! ", screamed Maze, nervous and eager to fin her Master as quickly as possible. " Don't you understand?! " 

Amenadiel released his grip around her arm, puzzled.  

" Those men aren't a problem...It's the person behind all this! The one which inhibit my powers and yours! I felt his presence during the exchange...If I'm right about this...Lucifer is much more in danger than we thought..."  

The angel approached her, alert.  

" What do you mean? " 

" There's only one being in this world able to compete with my powers and Lucifer's...I really hope being wrong about this...", she whispered with a trembling voice.  

" Who? ", he interrupted her abruptly.  

Mazekeen sighed and watched at the rain water flowed down the sidewalk before responding in a breath : 

" A superior demon..."  

She stared at the angel.  

"Alastor..." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter as soon as possible :) 
> 
> Let a little comment if you like the story so far XD


	11. Help the Devil

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is a new translated chapter with our dear Chloe ^^   
> Enjoy!

Chloe brought a wet lock of hair behind her ear and observed the two men watching the entrance to the factory.  

They wandered at regular intervals on both sides of the grated access, leaving no safety way for the detective. The latter held a curse before taking cover behind the rusty garbage truck that had been her hiding place for ten minutes. She pressed the back of her skull against the metallic surface, assailed by anguish and exhaustion. The thin, icy rain that had been caressing her face until now finally ceased, but the air of the night remained obstinately cold and wet for a city like Los Angeles. The detective repressed a thrill and rubbed her frozen hands together, hoping to generate some warmth. Chloe couldn't tell if it was really cold or if the exhaustion and the backlash of the last hours altered her physical sensations. She was obviously exhausted and overwrought.  

Who wouldn't have been in such circumstances?  

Alone, in mortal danger, no news from her partner seriously injured... No to mention the hope gradually stifled to be rescued... Anyone would be physically on edge.  

Chloe passed a hand over her face, awkwardly wiping the rain on it before taking another look towards the entrance. She could see – a few meters behind the two heavily armed guards – the van in which she had seen Lucifer alive for the last time. The back doors of the vehicle were wide open and there was no trace of Lucifer inside. The detective tried to convince herself that his absence from the van was a good sign. After all, who would bother moving someone he was planning to kill immediately?  They needed Lucifer alive, Chloe was sure. For what purpose and for how long was another story... 

Which she sincerely wanted to understand.  

In vain dis she stir all the information in her possession in all directions, Chloe found no plausible connection between this gang and an eccentric club owner. Lucifer was an asshole, certainly not a criminal. She couldn't imagine the opposite... not for a moment. Why team up with her in this case? It was absurd. He had her back and vice versa. Lucifer claimed to have always been honest with her, he would never had lied to her about this. He would – eventually – have alluded to it by de-dramatizing the whole thing with one of his " _luciferian_ " suggestion. There were no link between those men and her partner, not intentional link from him at least.  

Chloe wasn't further ahead. Who was this Mr. A? She was scrolling in her mind all the names of famous criminals known to police files, hoping to match this initial with a first name, a nickname... Nothing came to mind. It was obvious to her that knowing the identity of this man would raise many mysteries. Why was he target Lucifer? Was it not easier to apprehend him in his nightclub when he was alone and vulnerable?  

Chloe shook her head and smiled slightly at this hypothesis... 

Lucifer... v _ulnerable_ _: an_ adjective that didn't fit at all with the persona. This night was the exception to the rule, but her partner was a real Goliath. He gave this impression of constant invulnerability, an impression that made her feel safe by his sides. When he didn't spoil everything with his irrelevant and inappropriate behavior. What happened most of the time... The detective sometimes felt an aura of stifling and harmful power emanating from her partner. She then felt a primary instinct of flight hugging her heart, an instinct she had never listened to. Anyone could try to convince her of Lucifer Morningstar was a monster – including him – she didn't believe it for a moment. Chloe willingly admitted that there was something gloomy about him, something terrifying... But Lucifer was more than that. He could be attentive, in his own way... Kind and loyal. He was strange and unbelievably gilib in all circumstances, but certainly not evil.  

She had to help him. Find him and get him out of this mess.  

The detective looked at her watch: forty past four am. It had been almost four hours since the accident occurred. Chloe raised her head to the starry sky. A few persistent clouds were still lingering, hiding the purple sky with their soft surfaces. It was almost dawn. A news that would have delighted Chloe, a few hours ago, the clarity of the skies announcing an imminent arrival of backups.  

But at that point it was rather a lessening of possibilities of furtive infiltration into the factory. She had to decide quickly what to do. From a rational point of view, the best option was to straddle her bike parked a few streets lower and join the precinct as quickly as possible to save Lucifer. From a more emotional point of view, this option seemed impracticable. Option drastically reducing the chances of survival of her partner. Lucifer would be dead before she reached the precinct. She was on her own and belt all on the element of surprise. A highly risky bet... that Lucifer would have held without hesitation if their place were reversed. Well... There would have been no finesse with him... probably a theatrical and exaggerated entry specially dedicated "Lucifer". Maybe it was for the best that he was the one to rescue and not her... 

Chloe took her gun out of her holster before heading silently towards wrecks of vehicles along the entire wire netting. She stood out of sight, looking over the metal carcasses at regular intervals. The main entrance wasn't a viable option. She had to go around the fence hoping to find another less guarded entrance. The detective walked slowly, crouching behind the rusty carriages, holding her gun firmly. She wandered like this about five minutes, taking care to be as silent as possible at each movement. If she got spotted now, there wouldn't be no hope of escaping these men. Her whole body was parted with tremors due to cold and fatigue, making each of her steps a little more painful. Chloe clenched her teeth and tried to ignore the exhaustion which threatened to defeat her any second now. Lying down and rolling into a ball while waiting for providential help wasn't an option. She had to enter into this factory, to find Lucifer and get out of here. In sum. The details and viability of the objective would be considered afterwards... 

Chloe stopped behind a green dented truck, catching her breath. She skirted the vehicle to the level of the bumper, looking furtively beyond. She was now at the back of the abandoned factory, near a seemingly unguarded road where a few filled garbage trucks were piled up. The detective saw a gaping opening on the bottom of the fence, opening wide enough for a tiny woman. What she was. She waited for a moment under cover, making sure that no guard would surprise her at the worst time. The lane beyond the fence remained calm. She ran to the fence and – while watching for any suspicious sound – crouched down to pass through this makeshift opening. She passed slowly, avoiding to stuck her hair or her jacket into the ion fence. Her muscles protested under the extra effort, causing her to groan slightly. The detective finally got up on the other side of the fence between two foul buckets, he gun pointed in front of her. Chloe took a deep breath, calming the strong beatings of her heart against her rib cage. She had to stay alert, to not relax. She softly pulled away from the fence and walked a few steps in the dark alley, her gun still pointed in front of her. Her heart continued to drum furiously into her chest as she moved forward. She reached the corner of the building and secured the surroundings, her gaze stopping on backstairs a few meters away from her own position. She could probably go in there... 

A fairly recognizable metal clinking disrupted the surrounding calm. Chloe felt a cold barrel caress her neck, her whole skin bristling at this touch. She froze and gestured to turn around as the pressured against her neck intensified.  

" Freeze! ", thundered a grave voice not far from her. " Drop your weapon...slowly..."  

The detective closed her eyes and hardly swallowed. She'd rushed and hadn't secure her back, too eager to find Lucifer. It wasn't her first time!  

She was so stupid... 

The man pressed the barrel of his gun more firmly against her stiffened neck, urging her to hurry. Slowly, Chloe raised her hands above her head, holding with a few fingers her gun. She squatted and slowly laid her single defense on the ground facing her. She straightened up – her hands still above her head – and waited the end. Chloe knew what was coming. Every cop was prepared to this...every day...before going to work. This tiny possibility to consider...to accept. Dying in duty. And yet...she wasn't ready for this. She wanted to see Trixie grow up. Chloe refused to die in this sinister lane near the dumpsters. Still, she couldn't do anything about it...This man kept a gun on her...All he have to do was to press the trigger and...everything was over.  

If...he pressed one day the trigger.  

Chloe felt her courage decrease as time passed without the man doing anything. She still felt the icy barrel against her neck. The man still didn't move. What was he waiting for? That she say some appropriated words? Some kind of eulogy on the spot? This lack of responsiveness was really strange. If he didn't plan to shoot her, he could at least neutralize her...He didn't act at all like most of the hardened criminals she'd encountered in her career. Chloe let out a trembling sigh, her raised arms achy by this uncomfortable posture. She didn't know what to do. Move? Try something? If everything was really over for her, she could make one last stand. Kind of desperate attempt... 

Seizing the moment, Chloe quickly tilted forward. She rolled and quickly grabbed her gun on the ground before pointing it to her assailant. Her breath was jerky by the effort and the fear that clasped her heart, her hands trembling lightly around the butt.  

Still crouched on the wet and muddy floor and threatening the man with her gun, the detective tried to rationalize what she had before her eyes. Unsuccessfully so far. 

The armed individual was... _frozen_...somehow. She couldn't have describe it otherwise. He was inert and yet...moved imperceptibly. Chloe opened her eyes wide with incomprehension. She didn't understand what was going on. Was there something to understand? That was completely insane! Impossible...And yet, the man remained still, paralyzed. He still held his gun in front of him as if he persisted in threatening the detective with it when the latter was no longer in the same place. She slowly straightened up, lowering her weapon without dropping her guard. As far-fetched as it may sound, it could be a trap. She sincerely hoped it would be this....How could she explain what she saw? The blood beating in her ears and wheeze, Chloe approached a few steps and gazed at this strange phenomenon, confused. That was really weird. The man was frozen and was also...moving. A few millimeters...very slowly...As if he was at a drastically minimal speed from normal. His lips gently formed words, but nothing came out of his mouth. No words, imperceptibles bass sounds that should have been understandable words.  

The detective – confused – just stared at this phenomenon for a second, hoping to be illuminating by a perfectly logical and scientific explanation. Nothing came. Nothing cohesive. She swallowed, a ball formed in her dry throat as she brought back with a trembling hand some rebellious locks behind her ear. What did she have to do now? Keep going...just like that? Ignore this and take advantage of this supernatural opportunity? That would be great, but... 

Chloe couldn't make a single move.  

That was just...impossible!  

A fresh squall caressed her neck and footsteps sounded behind her. More instinctively than by will, Chloe turned quickly, threatening with her trembling weapon potential enemies who tried to trap her. She jumped and let out a surprised gasp by recognizing Mazekeen's hateful face – Lucifer's bartender – along with his brother, Amenadiel.   

Mazekeen crossed her arms on her chest and warned her with a dismissive tone:  

" If you shoot me...I'll kill you..."  

 

*********************

 

 

It took a moment to Chloe to understand these threatening words before lowering her gun with a trembling gesture.  

She stared at the bartender and Lucifer's foster brother, breathless and trembling. What were they doing here? The situation took a unmanageable turn for her tired mind. The detective didn't know what was the most creasiest thing...The man mysteriously frozen behind her or these people merrily wandering around this abandoned factory surrounded by armed and dangerous guys ? Chloe tried to calm down and to formulate coherent words. She hesitated to put away her weapon, she didn't know what awaited her with these two...especially with Maze. Amenadiel – until then silent – pulled his hands out of his pockets before lifting them peacefully.  

" We mean no harm, Chloe...", he reassured her in his deep, grave voice.  

Mazekeen let out a sneer before staring at the detective.  

" Speak for yourself...", she mumbled between her teeth.  

The bartender lowered her arms along her sides before advancing towards Chloe with a feline and threatening step. Chloe stiffened and tightened her grip around her gun, suspicious. Maze passed her by shoving her lightly. The detective watched her stop before the frozen man and stare at him for a moment. She took his weapon - his fingers still pressed around an invisible object – and hit him with a violent headbutt. Chloe jumped and observed the man back off imperceptibly under this hit without collapsing. A normal physical effect that should have result from Maze's aggressive gesture.  

But nothing was normal right now....Nothing.... 

The bartended seemed satisfied and let out a appreciative exclamation before returning quietly near Amenadiel. Chloe continue to stare at them a moment before exclaiming:  

" Someone's gone 'a tell me what the Hell's going on here?! " 

She should have whispered, not scream. But Chloe didn't care. She forced herself to calm down. To not break. Screaming was a good compromise. She was exhausted, wired, scared to death and...facing unexplainable phenomenon! Screaming was the least she could do! Mazekeen rolled her eyes while tapping the moist ground of her heel, expressing her growing impatience. Amenadiel gently approached the detective, a friendly smile on his face.  

" Chloe...You're safe with us...Everything's fine, I assure you. ", he said gently.  

" Everything's fine?! ", repeated Chloe in a strident voice.  

She let out a nervous laugh before pointing her trembling finger towards the frozen man, the latter was slowly backing off, undergoing Maze's headbutt in slow motion.  

" What's is this?! This is your definition of **_fine_** ?! What the Hell is going on?! That's not possible...I-I m-mean...It's physically impossible!!! "  

She quickly turned towards them, hoping for a plausible answer to what she saw. She also wished to know how they had reached her. But this part could wait. Chloe only could manage two extraordinary facts at once. Amenadiel seemed to hesitate to explain her. As for Maze...the latter was pacing near Lucifer's brother, regularly letting out annoyed sighs. None of them spoke for a microsecond before the eccentric bartender sighed louder than the previous ones and exclaimed:  

" Lucifer doesn't have time for this, Am! " 

" She needs some time to apprehend...", began the latter.  

" Time is not a thing that Lucifer has! Do not forget what Alastor is capable of! ", she interrupted him with a strong voice. " We must act fast...with or without the help of this human! " , she said as she gave a dismissive look to Chloe.  

" _Not that again..._ ", thought the latter.  

When it wasn't Lucifer, it was his bartender. Had they agreed on a fantastic story together? Demons, angels, Hell, Heaven...It was always the same story...over and over. Chloe only wanted a plausible explanation about it was going on here....Was it so difficult?! She didn't ask the impossible, did she?! Chloe's body was shaken again with a nervous laugh, laughing that she couldn't stop. Lucifer's relatives stared at her, perplexed as the detective kept going to laugh before them. Chloe loudly sighed as she shook her head, disappointed.  

" Let me guess...", she said in a quivering voice. " You're talking about these _devil-angel_ nonsenses, am I right? "  

" It is _not_ nonsense...For a detective, you're rather a slow learner! ", retorted Mazekeen very seriously.  

Chloe rolled her eyes and turned towards Lucifer's brother, hoping to find in him the rational support that she desperately needed right now. The latter didn't seem to want to contradict the bartender, unfortunately for the detective. Was it a kind of collective delirium? Chloe really didn't have time for these nonsenses. She couldn't explain the strange phenomenon, but one thing remained certain. Lucifer still needed help. She tried to calm down and put her gun in her holster before turning her eyes on Amenadiel.  

" I have no time for this! You're civilians...You have no business here! I'm asking you to leave! Call the police if you really want to help Lucifer and let me do my job! ", she ordered to them.  

Amenadiel sighed again before turning to Mazekeen, silently questioning her. The bartender smiled playfully before looking at the detective, a spark in her dark eyes.  

" Show her...It'll take too much time with me...", she said lightly.  

Showing her...what? Chloe didn't understand what Maze did mean. Didn't they hear her? Hadn't she spoke clearly enough? She opened her mouth, but words died in her throat when she saw something.  

Something...Unbelievable. Unthinkable...Unconceivable. 

Amenadiel was standing in front of her, sporting on his back two huge black wings. Dark and powerful wings...that could shave this building with one single movement, she was sure of it. They were gorgeous, shimmering slightly with a soft and warm light. The smallest feathers were the size of one hand and looked softer than any fabric on Earth. It was the most beautiful thing she'd ever seen. A wonderful sight...Hypnotizing.  

Amenadiel smiled at her before making his wings disappear with a movement of shoulders. Chloe blinked several times, choked. She couldn't conceived that what she'd seen was real. Lucifer's brother waited patiently for her to come back to her senses as Mazekeen was watching the alley.  

" W-what t-the H-Hell...?! ", the detective stammered weakly.  

" I'm an angel, Chloe...I have the ability to stop time....That's what's happening behind you." 

"B-but...If it's true...then...That means that L-Lucifer...", she stammered again, breathless.  

Mazekeen turned to her, annoyed.  

" Come on! Don't be so chock! It's not like he had hidden the truth from you! The question is...Does it change anything for you? " , she asked her.  

Chloe didn't answer immediately, lost in thoughts. Mazekeen was right. Lucifer had always claimed his status as King of Hell. What she'd had been takin for an eccentric fantasy was the truth. 

Lucifer...The Devil.  

The Prince of Darkness... 

She had teamed up with the Fallen Archangel for months. This revelation questioned her entire convictions.  

Death. Eternal Damnation.  

Heaven.  

God... 

And...Lucifer...Satan.  

Her partner.  

All these strange coincidences...were no longer appeared as such now.  

His extraordinary strength.... 

Jimmy Barnes who shoot him many times without hurt him... 

His strange power of suggestion.  

These allusions about his former life... 

That was unbelievable and obvious at the same time. It was as...Chloe had always have known the truth, without really admitting it...preferring to convince herself that he was only an eccentric man.  

What he was.  

His Devil status had nothing to do with this... 

Lucifer was still...Lucifer.  

Her partner. Her friend.  

Lucifer was a kind of celestial being...sort of. But certainly not a monster. She couldn't see him like this. It sounded wrong. Being the Devil didn't change this. He was a good man. He liked to bring justice...punish those who deserve it.  

That was what the Lord of Hell usually do, wasn't it?  

No...It didn't change anything...Not much, at least.  

Chloe took a deep breath before plunging her determined eyes into Mazekeen's.  

" Who's Alastor? ", she asked calmly.  

Mae smiled, impressed before answering more seriously:  

" He's a superior demon that Lucifer banned on Earth millennia ago...Long before my creation. He was...my predecessor.", she explained quickly.  

" Predecessor? ", repeated the detective, perplexed.  

And then she remembered. Mazekeen told her once she was a demon. She'd followed Lucifer here, cut of his wings and watched over him for five years. But what does it means? Alastor was a demon, she got that... 

Chloe had to become familiar with these new supernatural notions. She'll deal with the rest later.  

Mazekeen pinched her lips before saying:  

" I've been forged in the Flames of Hell to torture the Dammed Souls for all Eternity..."  

"So...Alastor is...", begun Chloe, anxious.  

Mazekeen nodded to answer her. Chloe felt a panic fear embrace her heart. A master of tortures...who kept Lucifer captive. The latter was already very weak and seriously injured... 

" What's your plan? ", she asked them.  

The objective remained the same.  

Save Lucifer.  

Help the Devil.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't forget comments !


	12. Fear

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the views and comment :)   
> Sorry for the delay, many stories to write ^^   
> Enjoy and let a little comment as always XD

Lucifer cautiously placed himself on his flank, caressing once more the dusty and damp ground with his wet temple.  

The room was pitching around him at a maddening speed, adding more power to the nausea that compressed his aching stomach. Again and again the pain... 

He never thought to be so disgusted someday.  

Him... The Devil... The King of Torment... who simply could no longer bear this searing pain that gnawed at each patch of his body. This night was a milestone: the disgust of the pain and his unfortunate reunion with Alastor.  

Lucifer looked tiredly at his former "disciple", who quietly observed the apparent suffering of his former master. Lucifer was surprised that he showed no more joy at this sad sight. Sad for Lucifer, normally jubilatory for Alastor. Lucifer narrowed his eyes suspiciously. A lot of questions swirled in his mind since he'd been brought to Alastor's elegantly shod feet. One of the most obvious was of course: " _what was he going to do with him? ",_ nearly followed by _" How was he going to get out of this bloody mess? "_. Lucifer didn't particularly intend to grad on here. Being in the same room as a demonic being banished by himself didn't bode well for the Devil's health. Health already extremely precarious.  

He looked Alastor. The latter didn't look like the Executioner of the Underworld created by Lucifer, millenia ago. Human envelope could change many things.  

" _Long live to reincarnation!_ ", Lucifer thought.  

In his memories, Alastor was much bigger. A giant on a man's scale. His bald head was provided with tiny deformed horns, and his face was nothing but a mass of asymmetrical flesh – without any real delimitation for the eyes and the mouth. A wonderful abomination. Having no equal but his cruelty. His body was arched and covered with disgusting blisters, his hands and feet were just sharp and poisonous claws.   

Now, Lucifer had before him a rather common human. It was confusing. Alastor as tall as Lucifer... it was already much less impressive than in Hell. His slightly tanned skin was devoid of any pimple. He now sported smooth blond hair falling on his muscular shoulders and framing a face slightly wrinkled by the years. His dull gray eyes stared at Lucifer. The latter appreciated nevertheless his attempts to dress up. He wasn't as classy and seductive as Lucifer, but no one could compete with perfection. Trying was admirable. He also donned a sharply cut black suit for any lambda mobster. It wasn't Armani, anyway... 

Details, details.  

" Humanity fits you, Alastor...", Lucifer whispered.  

Lucifer did everything possible to remain conscious and control his body. If he listened it... only howls would come out of his mouth. He was exhausted. The unconscious seemed to him a mercy for a few minutes. Mercy he couldn't afford to have. Not with Alastor near him. His body was trembling, not because of the lack of warmth, but because of the unbearable tension that he was inflicted to himself to stay in control. He wouldn't show an ounce of weakness to this demon. Never.  

Certainly not facing this particular demon. The most cruel demon he ever created.  

A mistake that Lucifer had dearly paid. Alastor had left his empire on the verge of annihilation. Creating more chaos than it was physically possible to have in Hell. Alastor was the very first demonic being created by Lucifer, shortly after his Fall. A powerful and profoundly evil being. The very first Executioner of Hell. Cruel, sadistic, greedy, without the least ounce of compassion: a minimum for a demon, could we thought. But Alastor was way beyond that...He had no limit.  

At the time, he took a special pleasure in torturing any wandering soul in the Underworlds, without any sentence distinction for each. There was no half measure with him... No _dosage_ of his talents. Alastor scarified tirelessly every soul that crossed his path, using his sword and his demonic whip relentlessly. After a few centuries, the latter finally got tired of this little game. He wanted more. Much more. He wanted to punish long before death and eternal damnation. He wanted to use his powers over human of flesh and blood. Ravaging the mortal world, purifying it by his hatred. A line which Lucifer refused to cross. His role was to condemn sinful souls. Period. No more, no less. A role that Alastor categorically refused to endorse.  

A bloody and apocalyptic war broke out between Alastor and the Prince of Darkness. A violent war that led the demons to the brink of extinction. A devastating quarrel during which Lucifer had to use his full power to prevail. A conflict that left him at death's door. He still wore the scars. Marks that he hid from everyone since. Even from Mazikeen. The scars on his back were - unlike these – a symbol of freedom... of independence. Those left by Alastor were just a painful reminder of his failure.  

Alastor had been defeated and Lucifer had sentenced him to live for all Eternity alongside the humans he so much wished to destroy, as one of them. Without powers. Mortal and relentlessly reborn in a physical envelope, enduring forever the weakness that he'd so much desired to crush. A richly deserved punishment.  

Lucifer exactly knew what he was up against with him. With or without powers, Alastor will make him endure the most terrible sufferings. Taking his time. Slowly. Until Lucifer will no longer be able to do anything else but begging this foul demon.  

Option which Lucifer categorically refused to consider. He had his pride!  

He had to buy some time. Hold on and hope for providential help. From Chloe or someone else. An angel or a demon: two precise names weighed on his mind. Amenadiel and Maze... 

Maze would come running as fast as possible, that was sure. No need to worry about her. He hoped she was already on her way. Amenadiel... It was much less sure. Why would he help him? Alastor could kill him, it would be a great favor to this feathered dick. His _celestial_ mission was to bring him back to Hell, by any means. Lucifer hoped, however, that his older brother would once make common sense. Be compassionate. Or whatever else that drives him to lend him a hand. For once, Lucifer would greatly appreciate it... He was much too weak and in bad shape to use more his abilities.  

Lucifer therefore began – without much conviction – to pray the idiot who was supposed to be his elder brother while watching Alastor with a weary eye.  

_" Am'_ _Am'_ _… SOS... I_ _repeat... SOS_ _... Satan_ _Outrageously_ _Seductive in delicate posture...Hellooooooo? "_  

Alastor smiled softly before squatting near Lucifer, looking him up and down. His cold gaze stopped on his leg summarily bandaged with his late jacket. Lucifer felt the demon's fingers stroking his calf slightly over the bloodstained fabric strips before strongly pressing his palm on the sensitive area. Lucifer, who had closed his eyes for a moment, instantly opened them and stiffened. An unbearable discharge palpitated along his limb, causing a stifled groan at Lucifer's. The latter had bitten his lips to the blood, holding as well as he could the cry stuck in his throat. Alastor stared at the Devil fighting the growing pain, challenging him to remain silent. Lucifer held his gaze, continuing to groan softly without screaming.  

" _Never..._ ", seemed to say the Devil's dark eyes.  

The demon's smile widened before he withdraws his hand from the tormented limb. Lucifer let out a gasp of relief, still panting under the pain felt. His leg was still pounding faintly on contact with it, needles piercing each of his muscles. He swallowed and focused on his wheezing and jerky breathing. The darkness gently tickled his field of vision without completely submerging it. Lucifer felt in a daze. Like if he was out of his own body. Feeling only partially the pain and discomfort inflicted to it. Trembling violently from head to toe, he focused his unstable attention on his executioner and gave him a charming smile.  

" I'm very flattered by your advances, Al'… Sadly, I'm not interested! You're not my type, so..."  

Alastor laughed out loud. A hoarse laugh that sounded fake. Gross and rude, without charm. He shook his head and gave a weary sigh.  

" Oooww Lucifer...I must admit that I missed your humor! You always knew how to hide your fear behind some kind of sick jokes. Some things never change...", observed the demon.  

" Well...I hate to break it to you my dear Alastor, but...The only thing likely to frighten me in this room is the dust! ", Lucifer corrected in a sharp tone.  

A half truth. The dust soaked his wet clothes, ruining them for good. Lucifer seriously thought of giving the pressing bill to the police station. They had to learn how to respect branded clothes! Alastor smiled again before grasping Lucifer's wounded leg firmly, his fingers closed on the bloodstained limb like sharp fangs. Lucifer's body bent under pain, the latter widening his eyes under this new influx of suffering. He tightly contracted his jaw, fighting and grumbling against his firm hand. A  while-hot metal rod seemed to have replaced his bone... burning flesh and nerves around. Dangerously bringing Lucifer to his limits. The latter pressed his thin lips firmly, refusing categorically to scream or express by violent sounds the pain that assailed him. It would take more to break the Devil. His onyx eyes glowed with Hellish Flames, staring at Alastor.  

The latter was gloating in front of this picture. He held his grip for a few seconds, which seemed to last for years to Lucifer, before bringing his blood-soaked fingers to his lips. He watched the carmine liquid, intrigued.  

" I heard that you were living on Earth among mortals in recent years, but I didn't think you'd adopt each of their features...Lucifer: _mortal_...It's interesting, very interesting...", he whispered, licking blood on his fingers.  

" Y-You know me! ", the latter hardly gasped. " I'm the type to invest a hundred percent in all my projects! "  

_"_ _Amenadiiieeeeel_ _!!!!...Wake up you bastard!_ ", he yelled mentally.  

Lucifer tried to calm his shallow breath. He had no more strength, holding his screams of suffering required more energy than he actually possessed. What the hell is Amenadiel doing? And where was the detective? He wouldn't hold out long if Alastor picked up the pace. What he would do sooner or later... Lucifer knew him too well to question this fact.  

The demon straightened up and put his hands in his pockets.  

" You live this weakness much better than I do! ", he was surprised. " I have been reborn indefinitely among them for over two thousand years... I still hate human life. ", Alastor confessed, disappointed. " But I had to deal with it. At least, I could find at each rebirth a profession quite similar to the one I was practicing by your side! Executioner, torturer... Humans don’t lack cruelty, this is the only positive point that I can concede to them. In recent decades, I have found a place of choice within... How they call that?... _mafia?_ Never mind! I'm a kind of butcher: I punish bad recruits, traitors and so on... Thanks to this criminal organization I could finally got you! I didn't want to bring it to Maze's or your brother's attention... An one-on-one interview is much less pressure for both of us, don't you agree? " 

Lucifer, still lying on his side, rolled his eyes, astounded by Alastor's behavior.  

" _Seriously?!_ ", he thought.  

He was really going to do him the hero/bad guy monologue shot?! It was too much torture for Lucifer. Couldn’t he just finish him off?! It was preferable to this odious farce. The worst cinematic _cliché_ in the world! Alastor continued calmly to tell him his ten thousand years of mortal lives, as if they were both long-time old friends catching up lost time. Lucifer took advantage of this calm to reiterate his prayers until then unanswered.  

_" Brother in danger_ _to angelic_ _tight_ _-ass brother for_ _immediate assistance..."_  

" Oh, I forgot! ", suddenly exclaimed the demon before him. " Lucifer? " 

" Mmmh...? ", mumbled the latter in answer.  

" It's useless... He won't come ", Alastor explained him in a low voice.  

Lucifer stared at him without understanding the meaning of this. What was that supposed to mean? It was Alastor's turn to roll his eyes before the apparent incomprehension of the man lying at his feet.  

" Prayers... If I use your terms: _the angelic tight-ass brother_ won't help you. Sorry...", he simply apologized.  

Lucifer widened his eyes, incredulous. He could hear him prey? How? Alastor had no more power. He remained a sadistic bastard, but that was it! Lucifer assured it ten thousand years ago. Hiding his confusion, he sneered and arched a questioning eyebrow:  

" Me... _prey_ _?_ That's clearly not my style, you know that... I'm more like the type to speak my thoughts out loud. For example... I think you're a badly dressed sadistic bastard and bloody predictable... 'See? I never keep my thoughts for myself! I'm so generous! " 

Alastor stared at him for a moment before shrugging his shoulders, indifferent to the insults of the Devil towards him.  

" It's useless, I'm telling you. I block your powers... and those of your little pet. It was more complicated with your brother, but not impossible..."  

" I'm so jealous, you know? ", Lucifer replied, smiling at the demon. " I'd love to live like you in the same waking dream... 'Must be wond...." 

 

The words died into Lucifer's mouth. He froze and looked with a certain apprehension at the Alastor's left hand covered with dark, viscous filaments impregnated with demonic energy. Alastor quietly continued to knead this energy before looking again at Lucifer, a wicked smile rising on his lips.  

" You seem skeptical... It's better that you be convinced at one hundred percent! ", he said.  

The dark algae condensed in the center of his palm, turning into a black sphere the size of a tennis ball. Lucifer didn't have time to do anything, not even to think or swear. Alastor levitated the demonic energy to Lucifer's belly at an unthinkable speed. The latter was violently thrown against the wall till then one meter from him. The air left his lungs and his eyes rolled back. His mouth opened on a silent cry as the filaments scarified the muscles of his belly, his alabaster skin dyed a carmine red and colored his white shirt in a fraction of second. Lucifer let out a lamentable shouting and felt the ferrous and unpleasant taste of his own blood filling his mouth and dripping down his chin. The horrible pressure in his abs finally faded, leaving Lucifer half-slumped against the wall cracked by the force of the impact. He struggled to open his eyes and watch Alastor move slowly towards him. He seemed quite satisfied by the damage caused by his unexplained powers.  

Lucifer, half conscious, didn't understand what was going on. That wasn't possible...Alastor had no more powers! And yet, he was embedded against the wall, the abdomen burning like hell after suffering a minor demonic attack.  

" H-Ho...?! ", he whispered weakly.  

Alastor stopped a few centimeters from Lucifer, taunting him with his cheerful smile.  

" Let's just say that...a good soul stretched out her hand and that I caught it! ", he answered happily.  

Lucifer frowned, confused. He coughed, his ribs painfully recalling to his mind with each single move. Who? Who could give powers to a demon? No one, except him, could accomplish this. No one... 

" 'See, this good Samaritan doesn't like you at all. So do I. If not more! He thought that we could...help each other! I help him, he help me...Simple, isn't it? " , he said.  

Lucifer glanced at him before asking with a weak but how hateful voice:  

" W-What d-do...you w-want? " 

Alastor shrugged his shoulders and pinched his lips before rubbing his hand against his forehead.  

" It's a bit annoying for you...I'm rehearsing this hatred for so long! I really need to let off steam and get back what is mine...", revealed the demon, falsely sheepish. " I want your throne. Hell, demons, all of this! "  

Lucifer had a mocking grin and rolled his eyes.  

" I'll gladly give that shit to you! I don't want it anymore..."  

" Thanks, but it's not enough! ", almost apologized Alastor. " You know like me that I can't proclaim myself King of Hell just like that...I have to wear the symbol of this power..."  

Lucifer stiffened and plunged his onyx eyes into the mocking eyes of his executioner.  

The ring.  

He wanted his ring. The Mark of Hell. The jewel that contained his demonic essence – a huge source of power – and which could controlled the Underworld and the creatures that resided there. But it was impossible. The ring was sealed to Lucifer. His Soul...his vital strength was connected to it. He had tried to remove it at many times. Something unfeasible without killing him.  

Lucifer widened his eyes and clenched his jaw, finally figuring out what were Alastor's plans. The latter gave him a large smile.  

" Now, you understand! Good! We can begin...", he exclaimed before rising his hand towards Lucifer.  

Yes.  

Lucifer understood now. There was only one way to separate him from that damn ring. A way that didn't bode well for him.  

He had to die. Not physically. It would only bring him back to Hell. Lucifer had to **_die_**. Cease to exist. Alastor wanted to destroy his soul...to destroy him. Kill him...Permanently.  

Lucifer felt himself lifted and immobilized against the wall by the powers of the demon. He struggled with rage. Ignoring the pain, his broken bones. He struggled against these invisible bonds with full force. Alastor burst out laughing and move his fingers slightly. Additional and equally invisible bonds blocked his neck and shoulders. He could no longer move. He opened his eyes wide with terror.  

" Are you sure you're not afraid? ", whispered the demon as he approached his hand full of demonic energy near his heart.  

Lucifer remained silent. He looked helplessly at Alastor sticking his nails at his vital organ, the fabric of his shirt tearing easily at their touch. The nails sank into his shin and Lucifer closed his eyes, a grin of suffering deforming his sweaty face. The filaments migrated to his heart and surrounded it, causing a wave of harmful energy that reverberated throughout his body. Something broke into him. It was unbearable. His Soul was slowly drawn, tearing apart every part of his anatomy with cruelty.  

Thought he had sworn not to do so, Lucifer could no more resist and screamed.  

A scream that transmitted an inconceivable emotion for the Devil.  

Fear.  


	13. Chloe

**_" GET DOWN !! "_**  

Chloe followed Amenadiel's order. She stooped quickly behind an old electrical panel and quickly covered her head with her hands. The bullets ricocheted at the precise location where the detective stood a few seconds before, forcing the latter to squeeze further behind her makeshift shelter. She drew her gun and glanced quickly at Lucifer's brother – also sheltered not far from her – as broken glass cascaded down her shoulders. 

Amenadiel nodded to her to indicate her targets. Four armed man were ducking them, all scattered on both sides of the maintenance room where the duo had landed for a few minutes. Chloe looked over the electrical panel and spotted the two shooters near the corridor. One was in front of the latter's entrance, uncovered. His companion had sheltered behind a few barrels, not far from the corridor. He would be more difficult to achieve without risk by Chloe.  

Using the temporal powers of Amenadiel would have been welcome at the present time. Unfortunately, although he was an angel, he couldn't use continuously his abilities. He had to save his strength for the rest. Rest named Alastor. The brief picture Mazikeen had depicted of him was enough to make Chloe's skin bristle instantly. Maze had admitted not compete with this demon. The very first that Lucifer created... 

Chloe felt like she had landed in the white rabbit hole. Except that it wasn't Wonderland that welcomed her... Not really. All these new notions, concepts... to integrate immediately made this moment all the more unlikely and... also more coherent. More logical.  

Now that she was aware of the existence of this world... of these beings, certain things she had lived alongside Lucifer seemed to all make senses. This gave a better understanding of the situation, a reassuring approach – in a way. From now on, the detective knew exactly where she put her feet. She was fully aware of the dangers and what her enemies and those of her partner were capable of. Chloe was no longer blurred. She wouldn't underestimate her opponents and therefore wouldn't put herself in mortal danger. Being fully aware of the risks was a plus for her. For her and Lucifer. Instead of slowing down Amenadiel and Maze, she could lend them a hand. And increase their chances of rescuing Lucifer from Alastor.  

Chloe nodded in turn to Amenadiel, indicating that she was ready. The detective squeezed the butt of her gun and took a deep breath before straightening quickly, shooting the entirety of her magazine on the two men near the corridor. The aim wasn't to shoot accurately. Only to attract their attention. What she managed to do. Chloe bent down again as the bullets flicked over her head. She curled up on herself and changed her magazine under the deafening sound of the projectiles. A powerful squall ruffled her hair as she calmly slid the breech of her weapon. She vaguely heard muffled grunts from where the four shooters were, followed by the characteristic sound of bodies hitting a solid surface violently.  

She raised the safety on the gun and straightened up gently, having a distract look at Amenadiel. The latter was now near the corridor, surrounded by the stretched and groaning bodies of the four disarmed men. He dusted his dark blue jacket off the broken glass while smiling reassuringly at the detective. She returned his smile and joined him, taking care to secure the blind spots. She preferred to remain cautious. With or without angel to watch her back. Chloe stepped over one of the men who moaned lamentably on the filthy ground and noted :  

" You know... The police would need rookies like you! It'd help during interventions! " 

Amenadiel shrugged and turned to the dark corridor behind him. Chloe pointed her gun in front of her as she moved quickly beside the black angel. Only their steps disturbed the ambient silence. An abnormal silence for the detective. Nothing was really normal since she had met Amenadiel and Mazikeen. However , besides these new supernatural elements to consider, this silence was strange. Chloe would have expected to hear more noises. The noise of the pipes, of the rodents running along the corridors, of the air rushing through the broken windows. There was an absence of...sounds. This made her extremely uncomfortable. A shiver of apprehension ran down her lower back, making her shudder. She looked at her companion. He also seemed disturbed by this unexpected calm. On his guards. They moved quickly along the dark corridor, almost running.  

" You think Mazikeen's gonna be fine? ", the detective worried, breathless.  

Maze's mission was to attract as many men as possible out of the building, making the place clear for Chloe and Amenadiel. They only had to neutralize some disorganized slowpokes and quickly frightened by the supernatural abilities of the angel. And what could be better to attract attention than a magnificent and noisy explosion at the other end of the abandoned street? Chloe had quickly put aside discretion and stealth. It was probably Lucifer's fault... Subtlety was a concept apparently unknown to supernatural beings.  

Amenadiel and she finally reached another immense room, at the end of which was another corridor more enlightened than the previous one. They walked through the room, watching for the slightest ambush as they advanced towards the corridor. Amenadiel smirked at Chloe's request and held back a mock laugh.  

" I'll be more worry about them than Maze! ", he exclaimed, rushing into the corridor.  

Chloe had to admit that he wasn't wrong about this. Knowing the barmaid, there was more the fear for these guys than for the demon. She almost felt sorry for them... She'd rather not to be alone with a particularly upset Mazikeen.  

The latter had claimed that Amenadiel would have a better chance of winning over Alastor. Lucifer had created Maze significantly less powerful than her predecessor. Although she had her pride, – like any decent demonic being – she knew she couldn't hold a candle to him. Especially if Alastor was in complete control of his powers, powers told as terrifying by Lucifer himself. Chloe was still wondering what might have induced the latter to conceive a servant so powerful and uncontrollable. A question she hoped she could ask him. If he was still alive. She clenched her jaw at this dark thought, anxiety embracing her heart deeply. She really to get him out of there...In one single piece. Chloe had to cling this hope to move forward, hold onto her legs and eliminate one by one the obstacles separating her from her partner.  

" You're sure we are going in the right direction? " , she asked as they took another wet corridor.  

" Yes. I feel Lucifer's presence. Not totally... but it's him, I'm sure! We're getting close... ", Amenadiel affirmed, accelerating the pace of his footsteps.  

Chloe did the same. She had a stitch in her side for a few minutes but she didn't care. She drew on her last strength to achieve her goal. She tried to regulate her breathing and thus reduce the discomfort that sheared her painful ribs. Her legs seemed heavier with each stride made in these endless disgusting corridors. They looked heavy and extremely light at the same time. Ankylosed by the continuous effort provided during the last few hours. If she stopped, even for a moment, she'd collapsed on the dusty ground so as not to rise again.  

What Chloe refused categorically.  

Lucifer needed her. They were partners. He watched her back and she watched his... At any cost. And it was the detective's turn to help him. She refused to fail in this mission. In her duty.  

In her friend... 

No... She wouldn't collapsed. She'd continue to run as long as necessary to get Lucifer out of this hell.  

Chloe and Amenadiel sprinted during what seemed to her hours before they suddenly stopped, horrified by the sound that attacked their eardrums.  

A scream.  

Deep. Painful.  

A shrill cry, reverberating in the entire complex, literally trembling the walls. The dim light of the bulbs suddenly flickered, plunging the corridor into darkness and adding more anxiety to the situation. Chloe's blood froze in her veins. Amenadiel stiffened near her, clenching his fist forcefully.  

" Lucifer...", Chloe whispered, her eyes wide with horror.  

 

********************

 

 

She would recognize his voice among all. Even so. Even in this form. It was Lucifer who screamed. Who suffered. More than anyone could bear. This cry... was beyond physical pain. A desperate howl of the Soul.  

A cry for help.  

Chloe had only one desire. Curl up on herself and clog her ears by any means. Anything to stop hearing the suffering of her partner. This suffering that struck her whole being... chilling her blood... reverberating in her muscles and bones.  

It was unbearable to hear.  

She felt more than she saw Amenadiel rushing at hallucinating speed towards the howling. Speed that the detective could hardly match. Before she began to run again, Lucifer's brother was already far ahead of her.  

" Wait! ", she cried, forcing her pace.  

Amenadiel didn't listen to her or hear her. He pursued his unrestrained race, letting himself be guided by Lucifer's howls. Chloe could only follow him, a few meters behind. He bifurcated to the right, Lucifer's screams increasing in tone as they approached the goal. She didn't like this. Thought she was convinced that it was her stupid partner, - newly considered as the Devil – they could fall into a trap. A trap as old as the world. Her reason required her to slow down and reconsider their original plan. Wait for Maze before going further.  

And then Chloe heard another cry that swept away all rationality in her mind. This cry only imposed a certainty to her: if they didn't find Lucifer right now... it would be over for him. Certainty that the detective didn't wish to test. She let out a curse before bifurcated to the right, clenching her gun firmly in her sweaty hands.  

She saw Amenadiel run towards the end of the corridor where there was an open door from which escaped a disturbing aura. Chloe tried to catch up with the angel without much success. She staggered more than she ran, exhausted. She leaned against the wall, breathless and her forehead glistening with sweat. Chloe took a deep breath before moving away from the wall, shaky. She was only a yard away from Amenadiel, the latter rushing towards the entrance of the room where Lucifer was most likely.  

**_" LUCIFER!! "_** , shouted the black angel as he run towards the entrance.  

The young woman ran again after him and froze, puzzled. Amenadiel rushed towards the open door and was simply thrown back with inconceivable force, striking the ground with a bang at Chloe's right. The latter uttered an exclamation of surprise and rushed towards him, helping him to straighten up. While she was helping him, she watched the front door, intrigued by what had just happened in front of her. The door was open and everything seemed normal. Then why had Amenadiel fallen on his butt near her, a yard away from that damn door?  

And she saw it.  

This was brief. Like a fleeting flicker. A black rosette reflecting slightly along the rust-covered frame. Chloe had never seen anything like this. The circle consisted of many incomprehensible and stylized symbols, forming a complex design starting from the top of the door and surrounding the entire exterior walls of the room.  

It was beautiful and scary at the same time. The rosette disappeared from her field of vision. So that the detective thought she had dreamed this. Amenadiel groaned near her and she turned her attention back to him, worried. He rushed back to the door, Lucifer's screams still reverberating from the inside. He stopped a few centimeters from the entrance. Chloe remained where she was and watched with terror, beyond the angel's shoulder, strange black flashes sweeping the visible parts of the room from her position. Amenadiel raised his right hand, letting his palm slide in front of him. He stepped back and rubbed his palm, a grimace of suffering and hatred painted on his face.  

Chloe joined him quickly, anxious. A reddish mark burned his entire palm. He cursed and turned his attention to the door.  

" An incantation... ", he explained, the jaw contracted by anger. " I can't enter... This incantation forbids the passage to angels or demons! " 

" What?! ", Chloe exclaimed.  

She was going to ask him for more explanations when a weak cry was heard inside the room. She looked at the cry origin and froze, horrified, clenching until her fingers were whitened her gun.  

An horrible image assaulted her retina without reaching her brain. A shocking image.  

Lucifer in agony.  

Lucifer crucified against the wall, tears of blood smearing his cheeks. Blood staining his chin... his neck... his shirt.  

Blood. More blood. Still blood.  

Lucifer's...  

Lucifer hissing miserably while a blonde-haired man had his fingers planted at the level of her partner's heart, black and powerful shadows around them and through Lucifer.  

Lucifer convulsing against this wall. His eyes upwards and becoming only two white orbs while his chest rose less and less over the seconds.  

Lucifer... dying. 

 

*******************

 

 

Chloe felt her heart missing a beat in front of this excruciating scene and felt herself running towards him. Instinctively... shouting his name.  

**_" LUCIFER!!! "_**  

A frim hand clasped her arm, holding her a few millimeters from the door. She grunted and refrained from threatening Amenadiel with her gun. Didn't he want to save him?! He tightened his grip around her arm, Chloe groaning in pain.  

" Are you mad?! Alastor would kill you...! ", he cried over the din.  

So what?! We can't stay here without do something!!! ", the detective screamed hysterically. " He's dying!! " 

" I KNOW ! ", he shouted in turn, trembling.  

Chloe stopped struggling and tried to calm down. He was right. Just run in there wouldn't do them any good. Do nothing even less. She let out a trembling sigh and implored Amenadiel with her eyes. The latter cast an anxious look at his tormented brother and Alastor before looking at Chloe, worried.  

" Damn it! ", he cursed, on edge. " Listen to me...I can't pass, but you can! This incantation doesn't work on mortals! I'm gonna freeze time as long as possible while waiting for Maze's return. You, you come in and get Lucifer out of there! I'll try to break this protection but it may take time. More than we have! As soon as I tell you, you go...Is that clear?! "  

Chloe wasn't particularly accustomed to being so directed but she didn't care at that precise moment. She nodded sharply and stood in front of the entrance, her muscles stiffened by apprehension. She swallowed and expired strongly, squeezing her gun painfully along her thigh. Amenadiel stepped back behind her and pushed a deep expiration, expiration turning into a warm and strong breeze.  

The air froze gradually. Chloe sax the dark shadows slow down, just as Alastor's movements.  

" NOW! ", screamed the angel behind her.  

The detective didn't make him repeat and ran through the opening, hoping the angel was right about this. She didn't plan to be disintegrated by some demonic incantation. Nothing happened, Chloe finding herself unharmed on the other side of the door. As if there were nothing between her and this room. Just the air. She let out a sigh of relief before pointing with a trembling arm her gun at Alastor. The latter actually seemed frozen and harmless.  

Only for a little while.  

He was in front of Lucifer, a sadistic smile frozen on his lips. A sudden urge to beat him with her butt was born in her mind. Wish she repressed. The breath trembling, she quickly approached Lucifer. She put her gun in her holster and grabbed the bleeding face of her partner. The latter had his eyes closed, a grimace of suffering distorting his features. A soft light caressed Lucifer's unresponsive face. The low morning light filtered through the window and added more supernatural to the situation. She wiped the traces of blood with her sleeves and pulled Lucifer's arms forcefully. She had to pull him out of the wall. Chloe looked anxiously over her shoulder, frightened. Alastor didn't move an inch.  

For now.  

The detective drew Lucifer forcefully towards her. The latter moaned strongly, moaning which appeared as the sweetest sound to his partner's ear. Sound that indicated this idiot was still alive. The idiot finally pulled away from the wall, falling heavily on the ground beside the detective. Chloe knelt quickly at his side, often casting worried looks at the frozen demon and at Amenadiel still stuck on the other side of the door. She turned Lucifer on his back and shook him.  

" Lucifer! Wake up, please! "  

The latter kept his eyes obstinately closed. He was as pale as a sheet and his chest barely rose. Five deep, bleeding marks adorned his chest around his heart. His belly was stained with blood and serious burns, the carmine liquid imbibing almost all of his white shirt. Chloe grabbed him by the collar and shook him hysterically.  

" **_LUCIFER!_** For God's sake! Wake up!! ", she screamed a few centimeters from his skinned face.  

She saw him frowned slightly, two onyx orbs appeared and stared at her. She let out a nervous gasp, her lips began to tremble uncontrollably and she forcefully clasped the fabric of his bloody shirt at the back of his neck. Lucifer stared at her with a lost and tired look. He frowned more and then smiled weakly at his partner.  

" When will you stop calling for **_H_** _im_ , Detective? ", he whispered, a spark of annoyance in his eyes.  

Chloe felt tears of relief flowing down her cheeks as a nervous laugh came out her throat. Lucifer let out a groan of pain and his smile quickly faded. He obviously made a titanic effort to keep his eyes open. The young woman gave him a broad smile before replying:  

" When you'll stop to act like a pain in the ass...which means... probably never! "  

Lucifer let out a faint laugh, which immediately turned into a fit of uncontrollable coughing. He closed his eyes and tried to catch his breath, his chest rising irregularly. He really was in pain. Chloe had to get him out of here, as long as Alastor was paralyzed. Amenadiel and Maze will deal with the rest.  

" I'll get you out of here! ", she reassured him.  

She grabbed her partner's arms as he opened his eyes, looking over her shoulder. She saw without understanding Lucifer's eyes widening with terror before feeling a negative presence behind her. Chloe's heart missed a beat and she stopped breathing, frightened. She met Lucifer's frightened gaze before feeling thrown forward against the wall near the door. She struck head-on this hard surface, the back of her head receiving the bulk of the shock. The air left her lungs and a wave of pain ignited the back of her skull, hundreds of sparkling stars altering her vision.  

She saw Alastor close to her partner, still lying helplessly on the floor, his worried face towards her. The demon moved again and looked pleased at the turn of the events. The detective saw with horror this demon bringing black filaments in his palm as he approached Lucifer.  

She then heard something she would never have suspected. Lucifer shouted her first name for the first time. She'd have really liked it to happen under other circumstances. The darkness encircled her as she heard the Devil's desperate yell :  

**_" CHLOE!!! "_ **


	14. The Light Bringer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Who's gonna save Lucifer and Chloe?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aja , as you asked...the next chapter! ;)   
> Enjoy everyone!

 

Suffering.  

Pain.  

Torture... Torment... 

None of these denominations were strong enough to describe exactly what Lucifer felt.  

Since when was he so tormented?  

One second? One minute?  

More... 

Was he only Lucifer?  

The pain swept everything on its wake: his name, his identity, the reasons for this misery... 

He was pain.  

Being one with it. He was only a compact ocean of torments, torments striking each part of his skin – if he had one -, of his soul. Lucifer couldn't remember if there had been a before to this pain... and if there would be any after. The past and the future were violently blown, eradicated from his mind. Nothing remained... 

Except the pain.  

Striking, caressing, whipping, cutting, aspiring everything on its wake. His body and mind destroyed... Slowly... and quickly.  

Nothing made sense. Suffering had also destroyed this notion of his spirit. There was only one dominant: pain.  

There was nothing to hang on to. A comforting thought, a pleasant sensation or a mere absence of sensation would have been welcome. Anything to stop... _this_.  

Did he still have a body? A carnal envelope? Envelope that should fight fiercely against this ruthless enemy... move... hit... bite the pain... Anything! Anything that could lessen his ordeal, just a little... Yet, his body no longer obeyed him. His muscles, his nerves and his blood also paralyzed. Lucifer was trapped.  

Why? For what purpose?  

He couldn't remember. Was it really important at the present time? Would it lighten his torment if he knew? Or would it increase it? All that Lucifer wanted... was to escape this suffering. Just a moment.  

A rest. A lull. Would it be brief.  

He'd gladly beg for mercy. To spare him... Lucifer would have implored anyone or anything... if only his mouth obeyed him. He had no hold on anything. His whole body was pure agony, a more powerful torment as time passed. His lips... his throat... were also at the mercy of the evil that assailed him relentlessly. No part of his being was spared... None.  

His heart palpitated fiercely against his ribs, in rhythm with pain. He felt his vital organ surrounded and tightened by these tortuous and harmful filaments, reverberating more suffering in his whole being. Each cell... Every centimeter of his body slyly sucked, reduced to nothing... 

A nothingness that Lucifer sincerely hoped to reach... Anything to escape this ordeal... 

...Even death.  

 

*****************************

 

Was he dead?  

Finally?  

Lucifer felt nothing more.  

He couldn't tell if the absence of sensations was a good sign. Or not. And to tell the truth, he didn't care. Feeling nothing anymore was worth a thousands times better than his previous torture. All he wanted was to sink into this whole nothingness. His mind seemed reluctant to do so, slightly analyzing what surrounded him. Lucifer felt torn between two states of consciousness. Part of him wanted to sink while another, combative, maintained his brain in activity. This part screamed at him to hang on, not to succumb to the call of darkness. Hold on.  

Why?  

What did he get out of this? Why bother? Was it a challenge? Because the Devil had no right to let himself go? To give up? He bloody didn't care! He was tired... Always fight... Lucifer had had enough. To let go couldn't be so bad, isn't it? Just a little... 

Just... 

An awkward caress against his face disrupted the surrounding nothingness, accentuating Lucifer's perceptions. Accentuating his physical sensations. As well as pain. Much less than before but equally uncomfortable. Every part of his body was on the surface. Even this gentle caress against his cheekbones flamed his raw epidermis. Yet... Everything was dark around him. Was it the darkness that caressed his face tenderly? Despite his foggy mind, Lucifer perfectly knew that this hypothesis was ridiculous.  

So what? Or... _who_?  

Did Alastor suddenly fall in love with him? Was it some kind of... sadomasochist fad of the demon who was torturing him a few moments ago? He usually liked this but... right now... even a common embrace would have been unbearable.  

No, it couldn't be Alastor... Unless he hid some details about his anatomy like... fine hands.  

It was clearly hands. Lucifer's mind was a little more alert at each second passed, perceiving more concretely what was happening around him. The warm and comforting caress through his swollen face, the soothing light along his neck, the tugging in his hobbled wrists. His panting breath, the ferrous taste that filled his throat and embalmed the rest of his body. All these details integrated his mind, foggy with pain. That didn't mean that his body obeyed him.  

And maybe it was for the best... 

Lucifer didn't really want to come back to reality. Nothingness and pain had their disadvantages, of course. But they seemed to him far less horrible... less unbearable than the full consciousness of his condition and his disastrous situation.  

Even the Devil needed a break, right?  

The owner of these wandering hands – Lucifer never stopped getting groped all the time! He knew he was irresistible, but come on... - didn't agree. Unfortunately for Lucifer. Getting more keen, they gripped his stiffened arms and pulled him forward. Lucifer heard a strong groan irritate his ears. A scathing remark about the pathetic sound came to his mind... before he realized that it was _him_ who was so groaning. To his great confusion. The unpleasant pull on his limbs stopped a moment before insisting again. Lucifer felt his body abdicate and he felt as if he was falling ahead.  

Which wasn't just a feeling.  

His knees bluntly met a hard surface, his legs folding instantly under his weight. He slumped on his stomach, his skinned face against the dusty floor.  

For a change... 

It was so boring! Lucifer only had three choices tonight, which came over and over again: pain- cold – dust... and humidity! Four things, actually... At least, nothingness was... nothing _._ None of this options existed there. He had peace then. Peace taken away from him right now!  

Could we at least cease to grope him in all directions?  

Lucifer was once more tossed like a pancake. He felt a warm breath sweep his face and tickle his nose. None of his muscles answered him, too numb or too painful... optionally. He'd have liked it to be otherwise... to chuck this asshole – who was shaking him like a snow globe – in orbital!  

Indistinct sound reached him.  

" Lucifer... " 

_" Yes, it's me! I know my name, thanks! "_  

_" ..._ Wak...p....pleas...! " 

Lucifer understood nothing. All he could establish with certainty was that this incomprehensible voice seemed terrified. And that she was quite familiar. A woman, beyond any doubt. This woman was pulling on the collar of his shirt, almost strangling him. An absurd way to murder him... 

His eyelids refused to open and help him put a concrete name on this bloody feminine voice. Who dares to touch him like this? And to shook him like a snow globe? The nausea came back, hugging his painful stomach as the voice sounded louder in his skull:  

" **_LUCIFER!_** For God's sake! W...up! Please! "  

_" Bloody Hell.._ _. "_  

A deep annoyance rose in Lucifer. How many times would he have to repeat it to the detective? Shouting his **_F_** ather's name could be no more vain and ridiculous!  

 With a superhuman effort, he slowly opened his eyes to only see a blurred face. Chloe's blurred face was a few inches from his. He heard her gasping and felt her thin hands tightening more the fabric around his neck, amplifying his discomfort. Lucifer looked into the detective's eyes and sketched a smile that he wanted charming... a smile that looked more like a horrible grin.  

" When will you stop calling for **_H_** _im_ , Detective? ", he said.  

His voice was only a faint hoarse murmur. He doubted he had spoken strongly and distinctly to Chloe. He focused his whole energy on staying conscious. Tears ran down the detective's face. Why? Was she sad? He didn't understand human emotions... And yet, he felt – to his surprise – his heart tighten before this picture. Seeing her thus made him... uncomfortable. That worried him... in what exactly... he didn't know. He didn't like to see her like that, that's all. Lucifer wanted to straighten up and free himself from her uncomfortable embrace but his body came back as a reminder.  

A bad one.  

This fleeting movement triggered a violent discharge of pain, reverberating in every corner of his anatomy. He couldn't suppress a groan and tensed in the detective's awkward embrace while the latter giggled nervously. His eyelids were heavy and burning, threatening to close permanently. Lucifer focused on Chloe, focused on her gaze like a buoy in a storm. She offered him a wonderful smile before answering in a very distant voice:  

" When you'll stop to act like a pain in the ass... which means... probably never! " 

He would therefore be eternally taunted by this providential fatherly calling at every moment of his earthly existence... Because he'd never cease to be _him_. Their situation was such absurd that it triggered Lucifer's laughter. Laughter immediately caught up by a new discharge of pain. He closed his eyes for a moment under this new assault, clenching his teeth. His breathing became more and more arduous and turned into an uncontrollable cough – further accentuating this throbbing pain in his rib cage.  

But where didn't he hurt?!  

He felt the ferrous liquid temporarily fill his mouth and his breath become a lamentable whistle. Chloe tightened her grip around his arms, making a gesture to straighten him up. And Lucifer wasn't sure it was a very good idea.  

" I'll get you out of here! ", she told him.  

How? As thin as she was... And above all, by what miracle was she here? This question, so essential, finally emerged in his tired mind. She didn't seem hurt... So Alastor didn't go after her. And where was this asshole? Lucifer opened his eyes, a growing anxiety bristling his skin covered with blood. He looked over the detective's shoulder, on his guard.  

This bastard couldn't have gone so far.  

Not far _at all_.  

Lucifer met the demon's hateful gaze, the latter standing silently behind his partner. He smiled wickedly, a smiled to Lucifer. He raised his hand and made appear demonic filaments in his palm – his smile widening by the second. Lucifer's eyes widened with terror and he felt the detective stiffen against his body. They looked into each other's eyes, understanding what was going to happen. Without being able to do anything to protect the other. This exchange lasted less than a second, and yet, seemed to last an eternity for the Devil. An exchange of emotions... Fear, guilt... 

He watched, helpless, Chloe being hit by the demonic attack and being thrown against the wall behind him. Lucifer fell back on the floor and twisted as he could to turn his face towards his partner. The latter collapsed against the wall, the carmine liquid dyeing her smooth forehead. Lucifer's blood froze in his veins at this sight, his heart squeezing between his ribs... He saw her close her eyes and couldn't help but call her by her first name:  

**_" CHLOE!! "_**  

He had trouble breathing, more out of fear for the detective than from pain. He spotted Amenadiel near the door, who struck the air fiercely in front of him – as if an invisible barrier prevented him from entering. Mazikeen lacerated the air near him, her face distorted by rage. Why didn't they come in? There was nothing! Their voices were stifled, unintelligible... as if a thick wall separated them from him. Lucifer looked at them, taken aback, before turning quickly towards Alastor. 

The latter was standing behind him, staring at Lucifer and distractedly mixing the dark hellish energy.  

" Tsssssssssss....You bring some friends? I told you that I preferred a private meeting...I'm really shy! ", whispered the demon in a fawning tone.  

Lucifer tugged at his fetters with all the strength that remained, hoping to free his hands and fight him. Protect Chloe. He had to do it... 

His eyes glowed, responding to the rage that was engulfing his body. And yet, nothing happened. He was still hobbled and horribly weak. Alastor let out a mocking laugh at this sight. All this seemed to fill him. He raised his hand to Lucifer, the filaments surrounding his body and gently lifting him from the floor. Lucifer struggled weakly in the suffocating embrace of his power. Unsuccessfully. Alastor made him approach a few inches from his face, looking into Lucifer's eyes.  

" Luciluciluci... Stay still! It'll soon be over... Then I'll take care of them... Starting with her. It seemed you care about her...", sighed Alastor, looking briefly at Chloe's collapsed body.  

Lucifer's eyes widened with terror. Never... He couldn't... Not her. Not like this... 

Alastor smiled before spreading his fingers, thus throwing Lucifer violently against the window. The latter felt the glass crashing under the powerful impact of his body, exploding loudly into multiple broken glass around him. Lucifer collapsed along the metallic, cutting surface – slashing his back and fingers. A raspy grunt escaped from his throat... a desperate attempt to catch his breath. Hundreds of fluorescent stars danced before his eyes. He vaguely felt the rising sun caressing the bottom of his neck as a growing pressure obstructed his trachea. He opened his eyes and saw Alastor's face a few millimeters from his. Such a disgusting picture to accompany his end... 

That was it.  

His end. A definitive ending. The Devil's end. Disappearing alone barely bothered him. Alone. He didn't want to condemn Chloe to this fate. Not her.  

But what could he do? Begging Alastor? This would only arouse his interest and prolong the detective's torture. Lucifer was weak, dying. His powers were useless at this very moment. The demon increased the pressure on his throat, Lucifer lamentably gasping under his grip. The heat of the sun intensified in the Devil's back, like a feeble attempt to soften his end.  

This gentle warmth reminded him some memories. Memories he thought deeply buried in his heart. Locked up with his former existence.  

Lucifer stiffened.  

He still could... 

It wouldn't save him, on the contrary but...her... 

Would it work? He hadn't done it for a long time... A very long time... Millenia... 

And he wasn't the same then...Without blemish... 

Lucifer swept away his doubts. The consequences didn't matter to him... Only the result mattered. And Chloe's life.  

He heard Alastor whisper in his ear as he fiercely drove his fingers in his chest:  

" I'll offer you a pretty grave among these filthy humans, don't worry... With a nice inscription: Lucifer – Late Lord of Hell...or something like that. " 

Lucifer let out a stifled laugh before opening his eyes and staring at Alastor. The latter seemed disconcerted by the Devil's attitude. Lucifer gave him his most charming smile.  

" You're wrong...There'll be written... ** _Samael_**..." , he whispered.  

He focused on his Soul and – while having a last thought for Chloe who would certainly be bored without his illustrious company – released his Light...merging with the brilliant sunlight behind him. He felt his eyes glowing... not with the Hellish Flames... 

No... 

His eyes had become two white...shining...blinding orbs. 

A perfect reflection of the Celestial Light... The Divine Luminescence of Samael... 

The Light Bringer. 


	15. The Reaper's death-knell

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone!  
> Thank you so much for reading me until now and even after XD  
> I've got some news. I won't publish on my other stories before having finish to translate this one. I have to do like this from now on. Too many stories on the same time, it became impossible to write for me in those conditions.  
> So...First this story. Then...
> 
> \- Le Diable n'a jamais peur :) 
> 
> Sorry for that. But, at least, you'll have the ending of each story ;)  
> Keep reading and commenting XD  
> I'll publish once a week : each Monday !

A gentle light.  

Chloe felt a gentle light surrounded her whole body, her whole soul. Warming up, comforting every part of her being... Gently. This light cleared the coldness of oblivion, filling the void with its mere presence. With its unique power. Chloe would easily moan of pleasure – surrounded and protected as well – if the situation hadn't had a... _supernatural_ aftertaste.  

This comfort masked important information for the detective and her survival.  

She could feel it.  

This sly fear sticking her heart, subtly polished by the surrounding luminescence. The adrenaline pulsating the blood in her temples. This hard and cold area against her back, area quickly warmed by this mysterious and nurturing lightness. Where was she? What was she doing before being pampered by the light? Who was she with? The light continued to surround her, encircling and caressing her sore limbs, thus removing any discomfort in her muscles. It calmed down her pains with disconcerting ease and seemed to pass energy on to the detective. A... positive energy. Benevolent. How was that even possible? The luminescence dissipated the darkness around and the detective slowly came back to reality. Chloe felt and heard more strenuously what was happening around her without being able to open her eyes.  

Hoarse sounds expressing great physical suffering assaulted her ears. She stiffened at these sounds, anxious for their owner.  

Lucifer.  

Fear clasping her heart more, Chloe quickly opened her eyes to close them again. The light in the room was such that she couldn't do otherwise. It seemed as if... the Sun itself had decided to pay them a little courtesy call, radiating strongly near her. Flooding every inch of the room with its powerful and blinding light. The detective opened her eyes and leaned on her forearms, sitting upright against the wall. She put her hand above her eyes, hoping to partially attenuate the luminous beams that obstructed her vision.  

What the hell was going on here?  

She remembered being in this room and trying to help her partner. And then... nothing. Here she was now standing against the wall, watching incredulously a personify star strangling Alastor against the broken window. The detective froze, disconcerted. She saw the demon struggling unsuccessfully in the strong grasp of the Light, his grey eyes widened with terror. Chloe narrowed her eyes and focused on the origin of lightness, intrigued and... on her guards. She couldn't tell if it was friendly. Was it only human? Someone? It couldn't be the Sun itself! Although the last events would have seemed unthinkable a few days ago, admitting that a star would come to her rescue still seemed highly improbable. Even with the best will of the world... 

It couldn't be that.  

Then what? Or... who?  

Would the light attack her after she had taken care of Alastor? And Lucifer? Where was he?  

Chloe stopped staring at the blinding source struggling with the demon to look around her, searching for her injured partner. She saw Mazikeen and Amenadiel in the corridor. They still seemed stuck on the other side of the demonic barrier previously invoked. She saw their face transfigured by fear, both staring anxiously at the light source. Chloe couldn't remember having seen the barmaid in such state of anguish before. Lucifer's brother seemed no better off than the demon. He struck the air forcefully, the dark symbols of the barrier subtly radiating with each of his strike. Maze fiercely and uninterruptedly hit the air with her fine blades, her strikes becoming more and more violent over the seconds. Amenadiel hit again the barrier of his skinned fists and gave a desperate look at the light source. He screamed something... something that hardly reached the detective's ears, partly stifled by the barrier.  

A scream that filled her with terror.  

" **_LUCIFER! NO! DON'T DO THIS!!!! YOU KNOW THE CONSEQUENCES! STOP!_** ", he yelled at the glowing star.  

Lucifer?  

Chloe hardly swallowed before looking at the star not far from her. This Light... This powerful star... was... _Lucifer_?! She observed at length with her widened eyes the lightning source, watching for distinctive signs peculiar to her partner. And she finally discerned him after a few seconds, beyond that pure and powerful luminous envelope.  

Lucifer **_was_** the Light.  

It was him and... somebody else at once. He had his physical appearance but... it wasn't exactly him. This... dark, tempting aspect was missing. This passion, the manifest lust of the Devil that he had always been. She had before her another version of Lucifer.  

Purer... more... _divine_.  

The bright beams emerging from his body and fluttering in his sparkling back looked like... wings. Invisible and yet... sketched in the air, at the level of her partner's shoulder blades.  

Chloe had been amazed by Amenadiel's wings but... it was nothing compared to the sight that was now offered to her.  

Here.  

In front of her... 

...was a...magnificent being. A vision of a beauty like no other... 

There was no Devil in this room. There was an angel...no... an archangel. A dazzling sketch of the Divinity itself. A personified piece of the Creator, modeled on human scale. Purity... 

The Absolute Light personified before her, a simple detective of Los Angeles. Chloe felt the warmth of the luminescence caressing every inch of her skin lightly. An unsuspected sweetness given the power exerted against the demon. A shimmering softness that sounded in the air like a wonderful melody. A melody that no human being could even reproduce. It was too... perfect. Too pure. Unique and inaccessible for mere mortals. The warmth of the beams gently swept the detective's grazed skin, and she was stunned to see her wounds and bruises gradually fade. She gently caressed the epidermis of her hand, incredulous and amazed at the same time. A real miracle. She was no longer in pain. She couldn't remember having been so well in her entire life. Ever.  

She let out an exclamation of astonishment, an ecstatic smile rising on her lips.  

It was simply wonderful.  

The detective felt privileged. As if a sort of honor were granted to her, mere mortal, to fully contemplate the power and purity of the Divine.  

But why such a beautiful thing worried so much Amenadiel and Mazikeen? It was a spectacle meant to arouse marvel and not fear. Chloe didn't understand their reaction and it didn't matter much to her at that moment.  

She turned her admiring gaze towards Lucifer, scrutinizing his face, which was also irradiated with light. Even his face, his eyes, his mouth... his skin... all in him was enhanced by the divine brightness. His eyes were no longer two intense black orbs. It was from now on two brilliant orbs, of perfect white. His hair remained black while being more... silky, better drawn. Lucifer was already a very handsome man for the detective, although she would never admitted to the person concerned. Question of personal pride... But here, it was beyond the terrestrial definition of beauty.  

Lucifer was everything.  

The divine, the beauty, the light... everything.  

Chloe had before her the confirmation of what she thought of her partner was right. And this, even after fully realizing his true identity. Lucifer was in no case a monster. Impossible. He was called Devil, of course. But it wasn't him, just what he was doing. His role in the order of things. His _job_ , somehow. He played the role of a monster, but wasn't one. Lucifer was so much... more than that. Far more.  

Chloe looked more closely at her partner's features. Features she'd have thought distorted by rage, as usual. But no. All was only calm and serenity on his face and in his gestures. A troubling calm for Alastor... even for the detective. The latter was so used to see her partner lose his temper and let himself be dominated by passion that seeing him like this, so... relaxed, gave rise to an intense apprehension in her heart. And this, despite the beauty of the spectacle that his Light offered. She didn't dare to move or even to hail Lucifer.  

Alastor was struggling against the strong grip around his throat. Lucifer watched him struggle without saying anything, a serene smile on his lips. He squeezed his hand around the demon's neck, the latter beating pitifully under his implacable embrace. Lucifer gently approached his face from Alastor's, plunging his dazzling gaze into the demon's. His smile widened, almost...benevolent. Without this mischief unique to the detective's partner. He raised his hand and gently placed it on the chest of the demonic being.  

Chloe still heard the muffled howls of Amenadiel crossed the barrier.  

" **_LUCIFER! STOP!!! I'M BEGGING YOU! STOP THIS MADNESS!!_** "  

" **_LUCIFER!!! LISTEN TO HIM!_** ", the demon added.  

But Lucifer didn't listen to them. Or maybe he couldn't hear them. Chloe wouldn't have been able to say exactly what it was. Nobody seemed to exist other than himself and Alastor. He continued to stare at the latter for a moment before speaking.  

" You wish to acquire my powers, impure being? ", he asked.  

It wasn't Lucifer's voice that the detective had just heard. In no case. No accent. A pure voice, deep and... innocent. An innocence which didn't – however- express any pity. A sort of celestial song to Chloe's ears.  

Alastor shook his head weakly in denial, a desperate attempt to save his skin. An attempt that would lead to nothing, except his destruction. Clear and definitive. Lucifer seemed to radiate more over time, plunging the room into a powerful and painful brightness for the detective's retinas. He offered a smile imbued with kindness to the demon before continuing in his singing voice:  

" Well, here they are... " 

" No! Please, stop! ", Alastor moaned, frightened. " It wasn't my idea, I would never hurt you...you know that, Luc'! It's _him_! St...!! " 

The last requests died in the demon's throat. Chloe narrowed her eyes at the new wave of light surrounding the two men. She saw Alastor contorting violently at the touch of the brightness, as if he was wounded...burned by it. Which was most certainly the case. The light increased in power every second, throbbing and rumbling on both sides of the room. Chloe pressed herself against the wall as the filaments stroke her feet again, fearing to be hurt by them too. After all, she was a mere mortal. But this wasn't the case.  

The lightness became such that she was forced to close her eyes, blinded. The frightened screams from the barmaid and the angel were quickly stifled by the imposing rumble. Chloe buried her head in her knees, waiting for the brightness to finally soften. The rumble rapidly rose into shrill sounds, aggressing her ears – which she protected with her shaking hands.  

And the silence came back as suddenly as he had disappeared. Chloe remained for a moment curled up on herself, scared. Would she run into any danger if she would straighten up? To witness the divine power was probably not devoid of risk for a human. She waited a moment longer before slowly raising her head, casting an anxious glance at Lucifer. The latter was again himself. Pale as death, covered with blood and... alone. Alastor had simply disappeared. There was no longer any physical trace of the demon. A fact that didn't sadden the detective at all. Lucifer collapsed onto the glass-covered floor before Chloe could make a move. She uttered an anxious exclamation and straightened up quickly, leaning on one hand against the cold wall behind her. She saw Amenadiel and Mazikeen hit the barrier, the latter finally cracking under their strong blows. Chloe paid little attention to them, too concerned about her partner's condition.  

" Lucifer...", she whispered, running towards him with an awkward gait.  

He rested on the side, back to her. The rising sun gently caressed his wounded body. The detective knelt beside him and quickly put him on his back. His swollen face was so serene. Too much serene. Chloe leaned her head to his mangled chest, watching for a heartbeat. Heartbeat that was late to come. She raised her head and touched the inside of Lucifer's neck with a shaking hand. No pulse. Nothing. No sign of life. She vaguely heard Amenadiel and Maze rushing to her side. Even before the questioned her, she exclaimed:  

" He's not breathing! **_LUCIFER!!_** " 

She grabbed his face in her hands, watching desperately for a reaction from him. A sign that would make disappear the unbearable pressure around her own heart. He couldn't die. He had no right to leave her. Not now. Not like this. By giving his own life to save her. Chloe couldn't bear this. Tears tickled the corner of her eyes as she shook Lucifer's lifeless body with trembling hands. She heard vaguely a metal clink at his right hand and instinctively looked at the source of the noise.  

She saw the ring sliding from Lucifer's ring finger before twirling softly in an icy whistle on the damp ground.  

This whistle sounded like a knell for the detective.  

The Reaper's death-knell. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To be continued with...."God has a plan" 
> 
> CHAPTER 16 EXTRACT  
> \--------  
> Lucifer sketched a slight smile and mechanically caressed the place where his ring once stood. A tenacious habit. He wasn't really afraid to die. Dying after an existence as long as his was more like relief. A kind of unexpected gift. And he couldn't clearly regret what had brought him into this precarious situation.  
> Chloe.  
> His dear detective.  
> \-------------


	16. God has a plan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lucifer wasn't breathing. Was it the end for him?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! 
> 
> Thank you for your last comments :)  
> Here is the next chapter! Enjoy!

He was no longer felt anything.  

Finally.  

No more pain, no discomfort. He was no longer cold – and honestly, just for that tiny detail, the Devil himself could have cried of relief. Just for once... 

Lucifer savored the absence of unpleasant sensations. His body and mind were light, relaxed. Released from the hours of suffering that had paced the past night.  

Well... that's what he thought.  

In the surrounding darkness, he thought he heard weak, indistinct sounds that gained power over time. Lucifer, both annoyed and intrigued by this untimely background noise during this salutary relaxing time, kept his ears open. It sounded like... musical notes. A score played on the piano. Strange thing to hear in the darkness. Lucifer was well placed to know that, there was clearly no piano in this kind of place. Hell would, moreover, appear to him really boring without his instrument of choice.  

This observation stirred up trouble in Lucifer's mind. He remembered giving free rein to his... Light. His powers of archangel until then sealed in his Soul. For a good reason. Lights and Darkness couldn't coexist in harmony, one invariably seeking to take over the other. Lucifer had chosen to release his Light... fully accepting the consequences of this choice. A demon, even formerly an archangel, couldn't use divine powers without a death sentence. Being the Devil made no difference. It was like... knowingly poisoning his body with some violent poison. The Divine Light was a corrosive poison to all demonic beings, Alastor could have testified that if he hadn't been the first victim. To Lucifer's great delight. Remembering his frightened screams was really pleasant at that moment. Nevertheless, this punitive action included an one-way ticket to Hell for the Devil.  

A price he was clearly willing to pay for her... Chloe. he was going to miss her, that's for sure. And she'd miss him all the more, it couldn't be otherwise. He couldn't help it. And it wasn't as if the lack he produced among people displeased him. He will miss all this... 

Lucifer hadn't yet opened his eyes, feeling too much comfortable till then in the darkness to deign make a slightest gesture. He was then certain where he had ended up. This dear old Hell... his physical death included a final return to those stifling boring places.  

And yet... Lucifer heard more and more distinctly these musical notes. Now... it was impossible that such a sound exists in Hell.  

Puzzled, Lucifer made a timid attempt of movement, still obstinately keeping his eyes closed. His body gently awakened, increasing sensations and information migrating to the Devil's tired brain. Information that only reinforced his doubts as to where he was at the moment. Lucifer felt fine sheets under his palms, quality silk. The back of his skull rested on cushions as soft as clouds, strengthening his desire to keep his eyes closed. He felt a light fresh breeze caressing his face. Torn between the urge to sleep and the urge to elude this mystery, Lucifer grunted in frustration before gently opening his eyes.  

It was dark all around him, but he could however distinguish a quite recognizable ceiling. That of his room, in his penthouse. Lucifer narrowed his eyes, confused. That wasn't possible. The release of his divine powers included two choices. Two. Either he woke up in Hell, an odious option for him. Either he woke up in a sordid and icy room with the detective invoking his Father's name for the umpteenth time as he bleed to death. An option equally unpleasant to Lucifer, but much preferable to the Eternal Flames.  

And now he was in his bed... 

Lucifer leaned on his forearms and straightened up slightly on the sheets, looking around him. It was his room, no doubt. Although some details were out of the ordinary. Thick fog, for example. An opaque mist swirled gently along the marbled ground, adding a rather macabre touch to the room. Lucifer sat down on the bed and quickly looked at his physical state. No wounds. Even less blood. His leg seemed to be as fit as a fiddle. He wore an impeccable suit without the slightest tear or scratch due to recent events. One might have thought that nothing had happened on seeing him that way. All these details showed more and more clearly that Lucifer couldn't be in Hell. Even less on Earth.  

But then... where the hell was he?  

The compact mist caressing his shoes looked like a very bad remake of _Thriller._ Was Michael Jackson going to land and carry a tune with his zombie pals? The musical notes continued to float in the air. Lucifer got up from the bed and walked gently towards the living room. Towards the music.  

Everything seemed strangely calm, except the sweet music rising from the living room. Lucifer carefully went the steps down, on his guard. The room was barely lit by the lights, preventing Lucifer for distinguishing clearly what surrounded him. He thought he saw someone sitting on the piano. Undoubtedly the author of this annoying music. This individual would probably have an idea of what he was doing here. Lucifer moved quickly to the piano and stopped halfway, surprised. The seated man continued to play, despite the fact that Lucifer was now facing him.  

The latter hardly swallowed, disturbed by who was in front of him.  

" F...Franck...? ", he said in a breath.  

 

** ***** **

 

Lucifer must have looked ridiculous. For once. Eyes wide open, mouth open, staring with a stunned expression at Franck playing his piano. The latter continued to caress the keys with incredible dexterity for a corpse. 

He was dead. Dead and buried.  

Lucifer understood nothing of this. Franck was supposed to be bored in Heaven between the Uriel's pedantic speeches and the dull conversations of the other saved souls. Franck looked mockingly at Lucifer but didn't stop playing. Lucifer closed his mouth to open it again before sighing with resignation.  

" I need a drink...", he sighed, quickly headed for the bar.  

Franck laughed and gently shook his head, amused. Lucifer took an empty glass and filled it with a generous doze of bourbon before sitting down beside his revived friend. He swallowed the amber liquid and filled his glass again before staring at the reverend. He kept on quietly plinking on the instrument, only casting a glance at Lucifer from time to time, not in the least disturbed by the oddness of the situation. Lucifer put the bottle on the piano and watched Franck playing a few seconds before the latter finally deigned to speak to him:  

" This is _Spirit in the Night_ from Bruce Springsteen... You know? " 

" Yes, but I wouldn't have thought it was this wonderful score... when we hear you play...", Lucifer replied.  

Franck smiled to this comment, but didn't stop playing. His face suddenly stiffened, reflecting an immense sorrow.  

" I played this piece the night of the accident...before...", he whispered.  

He didn't finish his sentence, lost in gloomy thoughts. Lucifer knew what he was referring to. The night when his daughter and Connor's parents had perished in a common car accident. Franck stopped playing, his fingers trembling slightly on the keyboard. Lucifer swallowed and looked away, uncomfortable. He tried to hide his confusion by drinking another mouthful of bourbon.  

" Anyway... You're still an awful piano player! " , he said to the reverend.  

Franck burst out laughing and smiled at Lucifer, who also gave a knowing smile. The reverend shrugged his shoulders as a sign of surrender and closed the music stand.  

" I haven't really had the opportunity to practice since my arrival in Heaven! ", he confirmed, gently caressing the black wood of the piano.  

" What a coincidence...Now that you mention it...", Lucifer said innocently. " Could you tell me what you're doing here instead of getting bored with your daughter amidst the luminous feathered assholes who are supposed to be my family? " 

Franck turned to Lucifer and looked him straight in the eye. Lucifer held his gaze, sincerely hoping for an acceptable answer. After a few seconds, the reverend narrowed his eyes. He seemed quite perplexed. One thing in common with Lucifer. The perplexity was rhythmic in the last few minutes and didn't seem to want to disappear.  

" You have no idea where you are, do you? "  

It sounded more like a noticing than a real question in Lucifer's ears. The latter shrugged before serving again a generous dose of alcohol. Franck continued to stare at him, apparently amused by the current situation.  

" Well... I thought I'd wake up in Hell. And, unless you're the latest version of the torments produced in the place...I highly doubt to be there! We are not on Earth either, in which case I'd be discussing with the detective and not with you. Heaven is totally out of the question, considering my family story...So, no. I have no idea. _Cat got my tongue!_ Well...not really...That would never happened...I hate those bloody creatures! ", he concluded, repressing a thrill of disgust.  

" Mmmhhh... But you know, it's the first time you've been such reckless. It's an unparalleled scenario...", Franck mumbled, lost in thoughts.  

" If I'm stuck here with you anyway, you could at least share your thoughts _padre!_ ", Lucifer got irritated.  

Answers. He just wanted some answers. A simple explanation. Chip clip, people!  

" You are dead, Lucifer...", Franck calmly answered.  

Lucifer drank a draft of bourbon before laughing.  

" You are very good to state the obvious! I got that, thanks! What I don't get is why I'm here and not in Hell..." 

Franck shook his head before repeating again very seriously:  

" Your are _dead_ , Lucifer..."  

The latter scrutinized the reverend's face, speechless. Dead... That meant... 

Lucifer looked quickly to his hand and his blood froze in his veins. The ring was no longer there. And if it wasn't there... then...  

He looked at Franck again, all funny comments having suddenly abandoned him. Franck imperceptibly shaking his head, as if to answer the tacit question reflected in the Devil's dark eyes.  

" It's not a physical death. Your Soul is also about to pass. For good... ", Franck explained calmly.  

Lucifer hardly swallowed, a ball had formed into his throat and his glass of bourbon suddenly seemed disgusting. He put this one on the piano, more violently than he'd have liked.  

Dead. For good.  

Lucifer hadn't consider this end at all. A definitive death... it seemed so surreal for him. Immortality had the knack for minimizing or even obscuring this kind of detail. Being the Devil didn't allow him to escape this, obviously. After all, that's what he wanted, right? Living like mortals. Nothing more to do with his **_F_** ather. The withdrawal of his immortality was a low price to pay. Lucifer was quite astonished at the calmness of his body. He would have thought, like anyone who knew him the slightest bit, react much more violently to this news. Screaming. Destroying things around him. Cursing the **_D_** ear **_O_** ld **_A_** sshole again and again.  

Nothing came.  

Just a deep fatigue. Resignation. And a certain serenity.  

Lucifer sketched a slight smile and mechanically caressed the place where his ring once stood. A tenacious habit. He wasn't really afraid to die. Dying after an existence as long as his was more like relief. A kind of unexpected gift. And he couldn't clearly regret what had brought him into this precarious situation.  

Chloe.  

His dear detective.  

Lucifer had used his divine powers knowingly. Of course, he rather thought of a physical death than a definitive one. Dying for Chloe really took a melodramatic turn with this new information. An involuntary turn and rather sentimental according to him. Die for a simple human.  

No. She wasn't simple. Certainly not.  

She was much more than that for him. Why? He didn't know... or didn't really try to find out. Chloe was important to Lucifer. Knowing her in danger or unhappy gave rise to unsettling and exciting feelings. He still didn't know how to explain the nature of this painful embrace in his chest when he thought of her. It was nice and uncomfortable at the same time.  

He would never see her again.  

At this simple thought, the embrace around his chest became suffocating, and Lucifer's weary smile grew into a grimace of pain. He tightened his hands against his legs and felt the benevolent glance of the reverend on him. Lucifer straightened up and grabbed his glass to empty it in one gulp.  

" Why did you do that, Lucifer? Why risk your life? Your Soul? ", his former friend asked him gently.  

Lucifer shared a look with him before quickly looked the other away. He suddenly found his glass fascinating and looked at it intensely before answering in a falsely cheerful voice:  

" You know me, Franck! I never miss an opportunity to think outside the box! Break the rules, it's in my nature..."  

Franck continued to stare at Lucifer for a long time, increasing his discomfort. He broke the ambient silence after a few seconds:  

" We both know this isn't true. If you don't want to tell me, so be it. I'm not here for that anyway..." 

" And why on earth are you here, Franck? A last attempt from you to redeem my damned soul? A steaky desire to torture me with your awful music before my imminent end? I'm curious! ", Lucifer said ironically.  

" Your **_F_** ather has a plan, Lucifer. And your death isn't part of it...", announced the reverend.  

Lucifer gave a mocking laugh and his head slightly, annoyed. Still the **_D_** ear **_O_** ld **_D_** ad...always trying to spoil his best moments. He couldn't even live his own death in peace. Well...sort of.  

" I know, I know. **_H_** e always has a plan. It's **_H_** is thing! **_H_** e always had a neurotic urge to control everything! Literally! ", Lucifer spat bitterly.  

Franck couldn't help laughing at this sharp remark. Remark hiding a grain of truth. God clearly needed to control everything. Or not.  Who knows? Lucifer never got **_H_** im. He thought he did once. A long time ago. In another life. And Lucifer had been severely mistaken, paying for this mistake by an one-way ticket in the Darkness. He no longer deigned to be interested in the grandiloquent plans of this **_O_** mnipotent **_M_** oron ever since.  

" So...? ", asked Lucifer, quite upset. " What's the great plan of my **_F_** ather? If my death wasn't planned, why not simply bring me back to life? Why this absurd smokescreen quite similar to a Michael Jackson's promo?...Speaking of him, I'd never have thought welcoming him in Hell! Such a great artist to torment...And such a waste, really! But his hobbies were quite debatable if you ask m..."  

" **_H_** e has a mission for you...", Franck interrupted him. " A vital mission..."  

" Wonderful! ", Lucifer exclaimed, more and more annoyed. " Unfortunately, I regret to reject this mission of the utmost importance. The last one locked me up in a private furnace for millennia, so..."  

" Even if this mission involves Chloe's life? ", Franck asked him, a slight smile on his lips.  

Lucifer paused and stared frankly at him, looking for a clue in his pupils. A vague chance that all this is only a lie, a trop so that he accepts more easily the absurd plans of his **_H_** oly **_F_** ather. How could Chloe be involved in this supposed mission of prime importance? She was only one human among many. Franck's smile widened, finally getting his entire attention.  

" What does this have to do with the detective? ", asked Lucifer angrily.  

Franck leaned nonchalantly against the music stand before replying in a joking tone:  

" This is your responsibility, not mine...involuntarily of course. She became a target the minute you showed that you cared about her more than anyone else. Alastor saw it. And his silent partner will also understand it..."  

Lucifer listened to Franck without understanding where this was going.  

" I don't understand, _padre_...What does **_H_** e want from me? "  

" Your **_F_** ather has an internal management concern, so to speak. You understood that Alastor was just a pawn, didn't you? A pawn in a much bigger game...", said the reverend – as a teacher giving lessons to a stubborn student.  

" Yes, I got that thank you! This stupid bastard couldn't recover his powers on his own...The question is : _who_ could it? " 

" Here we go! This individual is your father's problem..." 

" What do you mean? ", Lucifer asked, confused. " It doesn't tell me who c-..."  

Lucifer stopped, finally understanding. Only him was able to restore demonic powers. Except his **_D_** ad, of course. Thing he would never do, unless he had become totally crazy. Possibility enough plausible in the eyes of his son. Other than the latter, only powerful divine beings could grant magical gifts to other inferior individuals: demons, humans or any other living creature. But who would defy their **_F_** ather? Only he had the rebellion monopoly. And why didn't **_H_** e resolve all this **_H_** imself?  

" If it's an angel, why...? ", Lucifer began, perplexed.  

" It's not a simple angel, Lucifer. An archangel is involved. And according to you...which of your siblings despises you enough to dare to defy **_G_** od's **W** ill? ", Franck helped him.  

Lucifer narrowed his eyes, confused, before widening them with terror.  

No.  

Not him.  

Impossible.  

Rage and fear clasped his heart, strongly emphasizing the sound of his breathing. He clenched his hands around his glass, the crystalline material squealing under the pressure. From all the archangels, it couldn't be _him_.  

" No... Impossible...", he whispered between his teeth, the jaw clenched.  

" You know this is the truth. You even had sensed it! ", Franck argued imperturbably before Lucifer's apparent hostility.  

" And why should it concern me?! ", almost cried the latter. " Can't my **_D_** ear **_O_** ld **D** ad solve this problem on **_H_** is own? The last time he had to punish an archangel, it went pretty well for **_H_** im! "  

Franck shrugged his shoulders.  

" All I can tell you is that **_H_** e doesn't want to become more involved in this case..."  

" What a surprise! ", muttered the Devil in a cold voice.  

" ...He wants you to deal with this. And don't forget: Chloe's life is also at stake. She's in his sights, as much as you are! It's also an opportunity to take your revenge...", he continued.  

Taking his revenge. How? He was the Devil, obviously. But this simple title gave him no advantages. Rather a lot of drawbacks. He no longer had his wings. And his divine powers were from now on out of the question. Although death would surely embraced him if he faced him. He saw no happy ending to this bloody mission.  

Yet, he had to find a way. Whether he accepts this or not. Chloe would be in his wake. It was out of question to put her again in danger by his own fault. _He_ wouldn't show any mercy. _He_ would take a special delight in making Lucifer suffer – by all means – before finishing him off. Being an archangel didn't mean being good, benevolent. On the contrary. 

Lucifer let out a long sigh before putting a hand through his hair.  

" It seems I don't really have a choice...", he sighed to the reverend.  

The latter smiled benevolently before putting his hand on his shoulder.  

" We all have a choice. ", Franck said.  

Lucifer felt an icy breath sweep his neck and he turned swiftly. There was nothing. Only the bar dimly lit and bathed in disgusting mist. He stared at the counter for a moment before turning to Franck. The latter had simply disappeared. Lucifer looked around, intrigued. No one, except him and this damned mist.  

" Padre? ", he shouted around.  

The only answer was the silence. Lucifer shrugged, bored by all this fantastic situation. Franck could at least have shared one last drink with him before vanishing. Or try a final score on the piano. Actually... maybe not. Luckily he was gone. Lucifer's eardrums still suffered from his previous performance.  

Lucifer filled his glass with bourbon before bringing it to his lips. A dull pain suddenly tortured his leg, making him scream in surprise. He dropped his glass, which smashed itself to pieces inside the winding fog. Lucifer clenched the piano, short of breath. He still felt sharp shots shaking his muscles regularly. He groaned tightly and clenched his fingers against the black wood, his joints whitened by the strong pressured exerted. He felt the bile rising up his throat under the sudden pain. He looked at his leg.  

His leg was again swaddled in the remains of his Prada jacket, tiny streaks of blood flowing down the soaked cloth. Lucifer didn't understand what was going on. Another stinging and unbearable pain struck his lungs. Lucifer screamed and collapsed on the misty ground, shivering. He vaguely felt the ferrous liquid fill his mouth. It was like someone had stabbed him between his ribs. His breathing was no more than an indistinct whistle. Lucifer closed his eyes, overwhelmed by this new wave of suffering. Why was he such in pain again? He had agreed, right? Could he not have a break?  

Lucifer opened his eyes weakly, in search of help. Of Franck. Everything was blurry again. Darkness surrounded him for the umpteenth time. And for once, Lucifer was happy about this. Darkness involved suppression of pain. Where he'd wake up afterwards was a mere detail. He thought he heard Franck's voice – a faint murmur near his ear – before drifting off into a blissful oblivion.  

" Remember, Lucifer..."  

"...God has a plan. " 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To be continued with..." Saved by the bell"   
> __________________________________________________
> 
> Why the Devil – The Prince of Darkness – would leave his Kingdom of Fire and Blood to frolic with mere weak mortals in their flesh? Why come to Los Angeles, specifically? Why work with her? Why take an interest in her, a woman among many others?   
> Why?   
> __________________________________________________________
> 
> Thanks again to read me! Let a comment as always! See you next Monday ;)


	17. Saved by the bell

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello hello!   
> Thanks for the many comments on the last chapter ^^
> 
> Enjoy this new chapter and happy reading!

 

 

 

 

 

A deafening siren outside.  

Cries of pain, tears.  

Orders shouted hurriedly.  

The screeching of metal wheels on the spotless ground.  

All these deafening and mixed sounds reached Chloe's ears without affecting her. She didn't really see the medical staff walking rapidly or slowly – depending on the nature of the emergency – the corridor where she had been prostrate for three long hours. Sitting, her forearms resting on her legs trembling with fatigue. Chloe stared blankly at people running, walking, calling, asking for help or information about their loved ones hospitalized here.  

She watched, heard... but didn't see or listen to the world living around her.  

No sound, no image seemed to reach her except the movie of the last hours that she was scrolling untiringly in her mind. A kind of tie. A life preserver. Not to lose control. Do not crack. Continue to hope.  

_Lucifer's body stooping violently against the dusty ground, his eyes rolling upwards, a painful grunt_ _escaping_ _from his throat as his lungs filled_ _miraculously_ _with air._  

_Lucifer collapsing_ _on the ground...inert... but alive._  

_Lucifer...covered in blood...but... alive._  

_Lucifer...Alive._  

**_Alive._**  

Chloe repeated this simple word again and again in her mind.  

He was alive.  

_Dan's voice from the radio in her pocket._  

_Her own trembling voice explaining the situation to her ex-husband... omitting supernatural details... asking for medical_ _assistance_ _..._  

_Amenadiel_ _spreading his wings, smiling_ _benevolently_ _before disappearing in a breath._  

_Mazikeen_ _creating with a quick gesture of her hand a clone exactly similar to_ _Alastor_ _._  

_Mazik_ _e_ _en_ _shooting in the puppet's head with her own gun and putting another weapon in_ _its_ _cold hand._  

_Mazikeen_ _giving her gun back to Chloe._  

_Dan's voice at the end of the corridor._  

_The ambulance siren._  

_The paramedics taking her away._  

_Away from Lucifer._  

Chloe bit her lower lip violently and looked at her hands. Her hands stained with blood... Lucifer's blood. Her blood-red hands she rubbed mechanically with white cloth for an eternity. Her clean hands, but still dirty and obstinately red in the eyes of the detective. Rubbing. Over and over again. Her skinned epidermis under her slow and constant rubbings. The carmine liquid now soaked on the white cloth... as white as Lucifer's shirt.  

Before all this. Before...this chaos.  

This white which appeared so grey compared to Lucifer's Light. That Light that had healed her, she... and killed him.  

One brief moment. An instant of an eternity. An eternity of torment.  

Torment.  

Chloe's mind was tormented. Tortured by her useless attempts to brook the previous events. As well as their consequences. For her. For Lucifer. For their relationship. She felt like she was going crazy, her mind moving from one extreme to the other. From an unbearable emotion to an odious rationalism. Everything was a compact pile of questions with more or less questionable relevance. The whole turning into an unbearable internal buzzing, merging with the insistent buzzing of the place.  

A nightmare.  

She was living a nightmare.  

Chloe nervously patted the ground with her heel without realizing it, still fixing her gaze on her skinned hands. Her body was trying, as best as he could, to show her intern torment, to lower the growing pressure before reaching a critical level. The detective truly didn't care to give in to stress in the hospital. In the middle of complete strangers. She was far beyond these pointless social concerns.  

Her brain was now deprived of all occupation... of adrenaline. She now had to face reality that lay before her, which had been taunting her since tonight. A complete re-assessment of the basis of her existence. Of her believes. There was no escape. No distraction. Chloe had to face reality.  

Lucifer... The Devil.  

Lucifer... who had risked more than his life for her.  

Lucifer... between life and death... for her.  

Other questions twitched her exhausted brain: angels, demons, God, Heaven, Hell... The list was very long. Too long.  

Paramedics stormed ahead of her, shouting aggressive orders and forcefully pulling a crash cart along the corridor. All the people present looked at this cortege.  

Everyone, except Chloe.  

She'd hardly have noticed a lion in the middle of the waiting room. She was alone...facing her thoughts. Facing her questions. Facing this dull fear which compressed her chest.  

Why was she afraid?  

She didn't really know and she knew slightly. Was she afraid for her life? For  _his_? Her family's? Was she afraid of change? Of desertion? Of the loss? Was she afraid of those powerful forces which seemed to be able to decide the fate of Humanity? Was she afraid for Lucifer's life?  

Was she afraid  ** _of_**  Lucifer?  

" Drink this..."  

Chloe jumped slightly and sat up on her chair. She glared vaguely at Mazikeen and at the boiling hot cardboard cup held out to her. The demon held the cup towards the detective with her fingertips. Chloe apparently taking too much time to decide in Mazikeen's eyes, the latter waved an impatient and aggressive gesture on the beverage before the detective's red eyes.  

" Drink! You look terrible...", she ordered in a firm, imperative voice.  

Chloe stared at Mazikeen for a moment, then the cup before taking it cautiously in her hands. The hot surface of the glass quickly warmed up her icy palms. She put the cup on her lap, holding her hands around as she still stared at the dark, smoking content. Maze moved away from her and pulled loudly against the floor a chair towards Chloe. The other people jumped and all looked with animosity at the demon as she sat down beside the prostrate detective, her thin legs stretched out on the shifted seat.  

Chloe absently caressed the rough surface of the cup and slowly carried it to her lips. The bitter liquid burned the inside of her throat and the detective swallowed the foul drink with a grin. This brownish magma supposed to be coffee nevertheless warmed Chloe's body up, awakening by this time her mind tormented by these tortuous thoughts. She took another sip, then another one. Under Maze's watchful eye. The latter stopped staring at her and looked back at the large wall clock above the emergency entrance, a few meters away. She sighed heavily and squeezed her thin hands in her pockets.  

" How long he's been in there? ", Maze asked her, pointing to the doors of the surgery with sharp gesture of her chin.  

" Three hours..." 

Chloe didn't even recognize her own voice. A hoarse, broken sound...only reflecting a deep tiredness. Three hours. One hundred and eighty interminable minutes of growing uncertainty. The sun was rising high in the sky, outside the hospital. If Chloe thought it over, it had been about twenty-four hours that she hadn't slept. Sha hadn't had a break since the day before. Not even now. Her mind overheated by all these questions, all these suppositions and fears kept her in a state of alert. One might have doubted that by seeing her thus prostrate on this uncomfortable seat, the lifeless look and the body slumped.  

" Why does it take so long? ", the barmaid got angry.  

The detective straightened, releasing the pressure in her painful shoulders and leaned against the cold wall of the corridor. She closed her eyes for a moment, putting her scattered thoughts in good order before she could chat properly with Mazikeen.  

" He lost a lot of blood and...", Chloe began with a weak voice.  

" I'm not talking about those stupid humans who think they can heal him! ", the demon interrupted her, crossing her arms against her chest. " Lucifer is immortal! He should already have recovered by now... It's never been so long...Usually.", she muttered, her face wrinkled by anxiety.  

Usually.  

So...He'd been hurt like this before? What could this immortality imply? Lucifer seemed so far from her now. Pretty much inaccessible... 

Based on Maze's words, Lucifer would normally be fine. Being as fit as a fiddle, even. And yet... He'd seemed to her terribly vulnerable tonight. And surgery seemed endless. Why was it so long? Chloe shared the demon's concern. Knowing nothing about Lucifer's health literally killed her. She could no longer stand this long. She wanted to rush on this damned door, scratch it, hit it with her fits, shoot it... until this door finally releases a safe Lucifer. In good shape.  

But this door remained desperately closed.  

The detective let out a weary sigh before rubbing her painful brow with the back of her hand. She pulled back a few rebellious locks behind her ear and drank another bitter sip of coffee. Maze continued to shoot at medical staff a dirty look, as if they were responsible for Lucifer's condition. They walked quickly in front of her while quickly lowering their head, frightened by the wild gleam lying in her eyes. This little game seemed to put the smile back on the demon's face, displaying a satisfied and superior look. She looked at the detective again, the latter resting her aching neck against the wall.  

" He'll be fine...", declared Maze, in a voice that refused all opposition.  

Chloe didn't know if these words was for her or was an attempt of self-persuasion as to Lucifer's fate. Chloe gave a shy smile to the demon, a silent thank-you for her presence and support. A smile returned from Maze. An open smile. Without any teasing or condescension. It was the first time that the detective saw Mazikeen giving her that kind of smile. Perhaps because they both shared the same feeling at that moment, the same sincere concern for a person close to their heart. Because Lucifer was tremendously important to Chloe. More than she could have guessed before that night. They had almost lost him. Never see him again. Chloe had felt it. This horrible void in her chest. This absence. This internal abyss. She never wanted to live this again.  

Never.  

Mazikeen turned away, continuing to look around her. The same questions came back to assault Chloe's mind.  

" Mazikeen..." 

" You can call me Maze...", cut her off again without looking at her.  

Chloe locked eyes with her, disconcerted. Maze looked her in the eye, without any animosity, as the detective would have foreseen.  

" My friends call me Maze...", she said softly.  

Chloe felt a ball form in her throat under the emotion that submerged her at that moment. She knew it meant a lot to the barmaid. This meant that Chloe had gained her trust. And Chloe was glad about this. Truly. She nodded slightly and tried to formulate a coherent sentence.  

" Maze... I need answers...", the detective almost begged, her voice trembling.  

The latter nodded in turn. She gave an encouraging look to Chloe, patiently waiting for her to finally ask these questions that had been swirling in her mind for hours. One question seemed more important than all the others. Only one. A question that must absolutely be stated out loud. Chloe took a deep breath before starting:  

" Why did he come  ** _here_**? " 

Yes. Why is that?  

Whythe Devil – The Prince of Darkness – would leave his Kingdom of Fire and Blood to frolic with mere weak mortals in their flesh? Why come to Los Angeles, specifically? Why work with her? Why take an interest in her, a woman among many others?  

_Why?_  

Mazikeen now displayed a much more serious expression. Really much more. She looked at the detective without saying anything for long seconds. She seemed to probe Chloe's soul, in every nook and cranny. Chloe waited, scrutinizing the eyes of the demon seated beside her, hoping for an answer that would sweep away all her uncertainties. Maze sighed briefly before breaking the heavy silence between them: 

" Before answer you, I'd like to ask you a question too... And I'd like a spontaneous answer...Don't think. Just answer... Is that okay? " 

" That's okay...", the detective replied quickly, keen on clarification.  

She was curious to hear her question. And curious about the answer she'd give her. Whatever it is.  

" What are the first words that cross your mind when I tell you... _the Devil_? " 

And the detective's spontaneous answer followed this significant question.  

" Evil...demons...trickery...eternal damnation...", Chloe recited mechanically, avoiding looking at the barmaid – embarrassed by the words that came out of her mouth.  

Maze raised her hand, asking her silence. She gave her another smile... Weary and resigned smile.  She shook her heard slightly, a deep sadness marking her pretty face. Chloe didn't say a word, ashamed of her answers. But the demon had asked her to be spontaneous here. And she had been. The detective couldn't tell if it was a good thing or not. She waited to see where all this going.  

"  ** _This_**  is exactly why Lucifer came here...", Maze said.  

She said nothing more. This ambiguous answer was apparently clear and lucid to her. Not for Chloe. She only had a half answer. A half clarification. And more questions that thread her.  

The detective was about to assail her with other questions when she saw Dan enter in the hospital service and headed for her. He was carrying a deeply asleep girl against his chest, holding firmly in her hand a fluffy lilac teddy bear. Trixie kept her eyes stubbornly closed despite the dull, regular noises in the corridor, her other hand firmly clinging to her father's sweater. Chloe smiled softly at the sight of this image. Dan joined them in seconds, rubbing his daughter's back to rock her. 

" Hey...", Chloe murmured.  

" Any news? ", her ex-husband asked without preamble, truly worried too.  

He didn't have to feel any sympathy for Lucifer to be truly sorry for his condition. Chloe shrugged as a sign of helplessness and indicated with a vague sign of the head the doors of the surgery.  

" Not yet...He's been in there for over three hours...", the detective answered.  

" You should go home with Trixie, Chloe...", Dan suggested softly.  

Chloe shook her head sharply as a sign of refusal. She wanted to stay. She  _had_ to stay.  

" Chloe... You're covered in blood, exhausted. You can't help him for now. And you'll be even less useful to him like this...", he noticed. " Go home. Take a shower, sleep several hours... I promise to call you as soon as there's some news! "  

Chloe sighed and prevaricated a few seconds about his proposal. She was really exhausted, but leave would increase her anguish. And – however – the idea of spending some time with her daughter, far from any hustle and bustle, sounded really good. The detective gave an uncertain glance to her ex-husband, then to Mazikeen, who'd remained silent until then. She detected without any difficulty the silent question shouted by Chloe's eyes.  

" I'm not going anywhere...", she reassured her.  

And Chloe knew that her word was her bond. Maze was the only person – after Lucifer – whom she could trust. So she abdicated. Dan gave her a comforting smile as she straightened up gently. She felt all the fatigue accumulated since the last hours burning each of her muscles. Yes, going back home even for an half-hour wasn't a bad idea. Chloe held out her arms and Dan gave her Trixie carefully. The little girl didn't wake up. She vaguely groaned in her sleep, leaning her head against her mother's shoulder. Chloe kissed her skull with tenderness and wedged her daughter against her hip before heading slowly toward the exit.  

 

** ***** **

 

Chloe wiped with her palm the condensation covering the mirror of her bathroom. She stared at her wet reflection, inspecting the damage of the last night. She had dark rings under her gray eyes. Scarlet scratches on her shoulders and face, some bruises... 

She gently caressed a cut on her shoulder with her fingertips, pensive. Her wet hair tickled her neck and a few warm drops slipped from it before getting lost in the folds of her bath towel. She opened the drawer under the porcelain sink and grabbed a hairbrush. She began to detangle her long blond hair, still distracted. She kept on repeating every moment with Lucifer since their very first encounter. Every strange sentence he had said, sentences that took on a whole new meaning now. Each brush brought a new memory in the detective's tired mind.  

A brush. 

_" Lucifer Morningstar...Is that a...stage name_ _or something_ _? "_  

_" God-given, I'm afraid. "_  

A brush. 

_" No one had thrown me anyway before in my life! Well...Except from Heaven, of course. "_  

A brush. 

_" Your dad_ _did_ _that to you? "_  

_" No, no...That's where I cut my wings off! "_  

A brush.  

_" Temptation is in my nature. "_  

A brush.  

_" The Devil gets burned by fire...Could this be anymore ironic? "_  

Chloe pulled out her hairbrush with more strength then she'd have liked and tore away a few handfuls of hair, a whistling of pain escaping from her lips. She closed her eyes and leaned against the sink, panting. Chloe pinched her lips and took a deep breath through the nose, slowly exhaling the air stored in her lungs afterwards.  

Breath in, breath out.  

Her breathing softened, as did that tension that inhabited her body. She sighed, her hands still pressed against the immaculate skin. She put the hairbrush on it before leaving the bathroom, a curl of smoke escaping through the gaping door. Chloe dropped her towel to the floor,  went down the stairs completely naked before putting on her a black tracksuit on the dining table. She felt like...anesthetized. Acting mechanically. By habit. She walked – still as mechanically – to her daughter's room and took a look through the half-open door. Trixie was sound asleep on her side. Pushed by a sudden urge to embrace her child, the detective entered into the room without a sound before slipping just as silently into her daughter's bed. She pulled her chest against her warm back and stroke her dark hair, her head resting against her other palm.  

This movement was quite comforting for Chloe. It got rid of all the negative waves that were polluting her body and mind. She continued passing her thin fingers through Trixie's silky hair, her eyes wandering around the bedroom. As well as her mind. It only wandered in one single direction. Always the same.  

Lucifer.  

Dan still hadn't called. So there was nothing new. Or maybe did he not dare call her to tell her bad news? The detective rolled her eyes. Now she was sinking into paranoia... She really needed to sleep. Sleep that refused to come. She was exhausted. But it was impossible for her to sleep a tiny moment, even lying thus near her daughter. The last events remained in her mind, causing a continuous swarm of questions and fears. Fears that had nothing to do with what Lucifer was. Or rather who.  

Chloe was afraid of  _his_  reaction.  

Would he avoid her now she believed him?  

Would they still work together? Would they still laugh together? Would they still argue?  

Would Chloe's look seem different for him?  

She didn't know how it'd change her way of seeing him. How would that change things between them. Who could know that? She couldn't. She didn't want it to change. Definitely not. Not like that. Considering no longer seeing him gave rise to a deep sadness. Sadness as strong and insurmountable as that lived during her father's death.  

What was she going to do?  

What was  _he_  going to do?  

What were  _they_  going to do?  

" Mom..." 

Chloe jumped against her daughter before looking at her. Trixie turned on her back, her small brown eyes still fogged by the sleep that inhabited her until now. Chloe smiled tenderly, continuing to stroke her hair with one hand. Trixie smiled back at her, but quickly showed an anxious expression.  

" What's wrong,  _Monkey_? ", her mother asked softly.  

Trixie looked at the ceiling for a moment before looking at Chloe.  

" Is Lucifer gone be okay? " , her daughter asked, her tiny brows furrowed with concern.  

Chloe still stroked her daughter's hair before answering in a weary tone:  

" I don't know, honey...The doctors are still taking care of him. Daddy promised me to call us as soon as Lucifer gets better. " 

The detective wanted to reassure her daughter firstly, but it was like she reassured herself instead. Trixie nodded in understanding and staring back at her starry ceiling for a few seconds. A soothing silence settled into the room, silence only disturbed by the girl's gentle breathing and her mother's deep breath.  

" Mommy...", whispered Trixie after a few minutes.  

" Mmmhhh? " 

" Are you worried about Lucifer? ", she asked her again.  

Chloe looked her daughter in the eye for a moment before sincerely answering:  

" Yeah..." 

" _Really, really_  worried? ", she insisted.  

" Yes. Really, really...", the detective answered again.  

Trixie's face was illuminated by a radiant smile, her eyes narrowed with delight. Chloe stared at her, puzzled. Her daughter straightened up on the bed in a sitting position in front of her mother, who also sat down. Trixie let out a laugh that sounded like a beautiful chirping in the detective's ears.  

" What's going on, Trixie'babe? " 

" This is so cool, Mom! So cool! ", the child exclaimed, delighted.  

" What? ", asked Chloe, confused.  

Trixie stopped laughing, but her face still showed an immense smile. Chloe waited for a coherent answer to her behavior.  

" You like Lucifer! Mommy is in love with Lucifeeeerrrrrr! ", cried the little girl in the room.  

Chloe widened her eyes in surprise and felt a stifling heat rising to her face. She watched as her daughter jumped on the bed, still shouting her love for Lucifer at the top of her voice. This idea seemed wonderful for Trixie, obviously.  

" What are you talking about, Trixie? Where did you get that idea? ", Chloe said.  

Trixie sat up on the mattress, breathless.  

" A friend at school told me that if you are  _really_ _really_  worried about a boy, it means you're in love with him! ", the little girl explained proudly.  

The detective opened her mouth to refute this, but nothing came. She merely opened and closed her mouth several times, completely caught off guard by the thoughts of her seven-years-old daughter. What could she say?  

" Eeeeeuuuuhhhhhmmmmmm.....! ", was the only thing that passed through Chloe's lips after long seconds.  

Trixie looked at her mother with a delighted expression. Imagining Chloe with Lucifer as Prince Charming seemed perfectly plausible to her. It wasn't that obvious for the detective, whose face fluctuated dangerously between red and purple.  

The shrill ring of her cell rang beyond the ajar door, disrupting the oppressive silence in the room.  

Chloe let out a brief sigh of relief.  

_" Saved by the bell..."_  

 

 

 

****

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To be continued with..." In the arms of Morpheus"   
> ___________________________________________________________
> 
> Everything was going to change now. Lucifer could easily guess that the detective had witnessed something. Something that would forever change their relationship. That would certainly break everything. That wasn't what he wanted. But he knew too well how things would pan out. Rejection, fear, desertion, judgment. All this coming from Chloe would affect him more than anyone else.   
> ______________________________________________________________
> 
>  
> 
> Thanks again to reading me :) Don't be shy...let a review if you like it so far! More to come anyway! 
> 
> See you Monday! 
> 
> Byeeeeeee


	18. In the arms of Morpheus

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone!  
> Thank you for the comments on the last chapter. I'm so happy you enjoy the story so far. ^^  
> As each Monday, here is the new one : Lucifer's awakening XD  
> Enjoy and comment !

Bip........ 

Bip......Bip.........Bip 

Lucifer couldn't put a name, a palpable definition on this persistent sound. A piping, electronic and particularly irritating sound.  

Bip...Bip....Bip....Bip....Bip....Bip....Bip....Bip....Bip 

_Bloody Hell! Would someone shut that thing up?!_  

The sound persisted time after time, each electronic intonation echoing a little more painfully in Lucifer's skull. The latter cursed internally about this hearing discomfort. Where could this bloody noise come from? It was a familiar sound, but he couldn't define it properly. Lucifer tried as best he could to focus: on the origin of the sound, the place where he could be...without much result so far. His mind was surrounded by mist, light and heavy at the same time. The single concrete fact that Lucifer managed – unfortunately for his ears – to bland was this regular sound. He couldn't clearly tell if he was awake or not, alive or dead, injured or in good health.  

All of this was just a blur, mixed in his head.  

And this damned noise didn't really help!  

 

** ***** **

 

Seconds, minutes or hours passed before Lucifer really got back into reality. If that was the reality he hoped for. There was always this unbearable noise, which he now placed on his left. Sound that seemed slightly elevated compared to his own position. Lucifer felt gradually the rest of his body, summarily inspecting his general state. His clouded mind continued to give him a hard time. 

This hazy sensation was rather strange, by the way. For him. It vaguely reminded him of the weak physical and psychological effects of some drugs. Effects very limited in intensity and over time given his immortal status. However, at that time, the effect was much more weighty...more tenacious. He felt totally groggy. On a fluffy cloud. Which bring back some memories of his past life. It wasn't unpleasant, quite the opposite.  

Lucifer had no more pain. Finally. All he could hope for was that this beneficial drug would pursue its wonderful goal over an unlimited period. He could no longer bear an ounce of pain at that moment. Even a tiny one. It might have been supposed that the Devil was much more resistant than that, as the Humanity Executioner, you know...But he guessed that a human body envelope and a prolonged time on Earth had its ups and downs, like everything else.  

He understood a little better the absence of sensations in the rest of his body. Of painful and unpleasant sensations. It was like...as if his whole body was made of fluffy cotton. No more unbearable pain. Such a release. Lucifer would have smiled with contentment if the muscles of his face deigned to obey him. Other information reached his exhausted brain, the thick fog gradually starting to fade at this level without being replaced by any pain.  

A tenacious smell of antiseptic burned the entrance of his nostrils. There was another smell. Softer. More floral. Lucifer couldn't tell what it was exactly. His heavy and anesthetized body also gave him some information. A rough and thick fabric under his palms, a sheet just as thick but slightly more silky covering him. One of his hands was resting along his side under this partially silky sheet, while the other resting on his chest – rising and slowly descending at the pace of his breathing.  

He was alive, then.  

Breathing was a consequent clue about his state of health. One thing that Lucifer could be absolutely sure. He was alive and... more or less in good health.  

He felt a tug – not painful but rather unpleasant – in his arm. Lucifer continued to mentally scan his body and the information he managed to assimilate. Something cold and plasticized itched in his nose. Which caused him to have an overwhelming desire to sneeze.  

Lucifer had a lot of information but still couldn't tell where he was. It was probably obvious to anyone else. Unquestionably less for an immortal being drugged in high doses, come back from the dead. He wondered if he was able to move, to open his eyes. And if it was a good idea. He vaguely remembered that his last awakenings were irremediably followed by tragic events. Staying in the dark, painless was terribly tempting. And temptation was part of Lucifer. The latter was, however, far too curious to remain thus helpless and ignorant of his situation.  

Knowledge is power. Where had he heard that, already? The Holy Bible? Oh no... _Game of Thrones!_ A far better reading and TV-series than this dusty doorstop.  

He struggled for a moment against the heaviness of his muscles before he could open his eyelids by a few millimeters. He closed them immediately, blinded by a shrill light. He frowned, uncomfortable with this stuffy luminosity. A weak groan escaped from his lips as he gently turned his head to the side, hoping to soften the effects of this filthy light. Lucifer heard vaguely a noise near him, like a metallic scraping. Scraping followed by hurried steps. These noises intrigued him without, however, lead him to open his eyes again. There was a slight jingling followed by a significant drop of the surrounding light. Lucifer waited for a moment, on his guards. He cautiously opened one eye, then the other. No blinding artificial light attacked his retinas. A good point. His vision was rather fuzzy. Lucifer blinked several times and watched with intrigued eyes people wandering along a corridor adjoining the room where he was. Confused sounds reached him: ring tones, whispers, laughter... 

He looked around. He caught sight of the damned drip device near him. He looked tiredly at the uncomfortable metal bed on which he lay. A very typical bed.  

An hospital bed.  

He was in the hospital. As a _patient_? A first for the Devil. A red-letter day. How did he get here? The memories blended in his groggy mind, accentuating his general confusion. Some things came to him like his talk with Franck and... ** _H_** is  _mission_. As for the rest... 

Everything would come back to him in good time, obviously. He hoped so, anyway. Lucifer will deal with all this later.  

As late as possible.  

He glanced disgustedly at the misshapen white clothes which supposed to be – somehow – pajamas. A rough and shapeless fabric...pajamas. Humans had a dubious sense of humor. We couldn't joke about clothes. Even pajamas, whatever the category. Did they not have silk pajamas for the VIPs in Los Angeles? Was it so difficult? Really? And then we were surprised by the increased number of deaths during hospitalization! Most of the patients probably took their own life as soon as they had to wear this... _thing_.  

Lucifer heard again a slight metal scraping on the other side of the bed, on his right. He turned his heavy head, with a tiny precaution, towards the source of the noise. His vision was still slightly blurred by fatigue and intravenous drugs, but he easily recognized Chloe's face. Lucifer blinked, still disoriented by the situation. He silently examined the detective. Her clothes were crumpled and shapeless. It looked like she hadn't slept or moved from this uncomfortable chair for a long time.  

Why?  

His eyes turned to her face. Deep dark purple circles trimmed the bottom of her magnificent gray eyes. She still had some partially healed cuts at the cheek and on the lower left corner of her fine mouth. She had hair down and uncombed. Lucifer frowned, disconcerted by this image in front of him. Why did she look as exhausted as he? She didn't seem physically hurt. Sunlight filtered between the blinds from the window, bathed in a soft light the detective's back. The latter came closer to Lucifer's bed. She leaned toward his face, apparently happy to see him awake. Simply happy to see him, without doubt. He used to produced that effect on women. Chloe smiled slightly, a smile Lucifer gladly returned.  

" Look who's back...", she whispered to him.  

 

 ** ***** **

 

Lucifer narrowed his eyes: he had a vague impression of déjà vu. The roles were reversed this time. He closed his eyes briefly and hardly swallowed, his mouth was dry and furred. He opened his eyes and stared into his partner's. He smiled again, a tired smile. Much less bright than what he used to, but a smile anyway.  

" How long have I been out...? ", he asked in a hoarse whisper.  

The detective turned her head away, embarrassed by his question. She bit her lip, anxious and began to shiver. Lucifer tensed in his bed, worried about her reaction and the answer that would soon be given to him. He had been asleep for so long? Chloe raised her head and gave a sad look to her bedridden partner. The latter was going through hell – figuratively, of course – and could only wait for the detective to deign to reply. It couldn't be so bad, could it? Not really... _years_ , right?  

" Three months...", she whispered sadly.  

" What? ", he exclaimed, skeptical.  

Lucifer stared at her for a few seconds, confused. Three months? She was joking, was she? He actually felt exhausted, drugged a hundred-percent, but still! He was the Devil. And the Devil didn't stay down so long. Impossible. That couldn't be true.  

And that wasn't, quite evidently. Lucifer – until then tormented by this idea – was interrupted by the crystalline laughter of his partner. What he previously took as shudders due to tears was only the physical consequence of a hardly contained laugh. The detective was literally crying laughing on her chair, her shoulders shaking slightly under this giggles crisis. She seemed very proud of her joke. Lucifer should have felt furious, embarrassed...but still. He asked for it, he had to admit. Chloe only returned him the favor. The latter seemed at last to calm down, again facing a grumpy Lucifer. She wiped away with the back of her hand the tears that perked the corner of her eyes, her whole body still travelled sporadically by some tremors. Lucifer narrowed his eyes and smirked at her.  

 " You're such an a...-mazing woman! ", he rectified very quickly under her dirty look.  

The laughter took him in spite of himself and awoke a dull pain between his ribs, accentuating the pressure exerted by the bandages around his chest. Lucifer closed his eyes briefly, a grimace of pain silencing this hasty laugh.  

" Take it easy, Lucifer...you literally came back from the dead. ", Chloe warned him, concerned.  

Lucifer calmed his breath and gently opened his eyes, - more comfortable - a mocking smile rising from his lips.  

" If only you knew how right you are, Detective! "  

The latter didn't reply. She waited patiently, seated by his side, that Lucifer regained a more regular breathing. The latter was pleased to notice that breathing was much easier than the last few hours. Or were they days? He still didn't know how long he was lounging in this cheap bed. He turned to Chloe and reiterated his question, much more serious:  

" Seriously, Detective...How long? " 

Chloe let out a weary smile while scrutinizing him with some tenderness.  

" You've been out of surgery for more than twenty-four hours now...You're the new miracle of this hospital! ", she said, a slight smile on the corner of her lips.  

Lucifer let out a sardonic exclamation. He was anything but a miracle. Probably a bit for mortals, but he knew perfectly well to whom he owed his  _miraculous_ return from the dead. That  ** _D_** ear  ** _O_** ld  ** _F_** ather... ** _H_** _im_  again and again. A poisoned gift again and again. Which always required some payment. A fairly high price to pay. Fairly dicey. Rise the Devil from the dead to better annihilate him. Not really productive, if we asked him... 

Lucifer settled a little better against the pillows.  

" We can't defeat the Devil so easily! ", he boasted in a sleepy voice.  

" Indeed...We could think that the Devil wouldn't be so easily knocked out by a superior demon! ", replied his partner's irritated voice. " Especially if the fallen angel in question is sufficiently stupid to release his divine powers! " 

Lucifer tensed in his bed, his face transfigured by surprise turned to the deafening drip device, the exact opposite of Chloe's face. He had expected a sardonic protest as for his identity. He was used to her denial about any allusion of his devilish condition. A disdainful exclamation here, an exasperated eye rolling there... 

He'd have preferred this kind of reaction.  

Truly.  

How? Why now?  

Lucifer couldn't resolve to look at her. He didn't know why by the way. It was not as if he had kept his identity secret all this time. He had even claimed it loud and clear on many occasions. He was talking about it, of course. But never showed it. Never. Chloe only had a foretaste, a sketch of what he really was. His strange mood swings were nothing compared to the darkness of his Soul. Lucifer was a monster. The terrifying Kraken of Humanity. An abomination of creation. In Chloe's eyes, he was only a bad-tempered man with a seemingly difficult family background and eccentric whims. Nothing else.  

And it was quite pleasant for him. Not to be judged as the vile seducer anymore.  

Everything was going to change now. Lucifer could easily guess that the detective had witnessed something. Something that would forever change their relationship. That would certainly break everything. That wasn't what he wanted. But he knew too well how things would pan out. Rejection, fear, desertion, judgment. All this coming from Chloe would affect him more than anyone else.  

Lucifer heard a new metallic scraping and sketched a sad and resigned smile. It was predictable. He only succeeded in creating the void around him. As always. Why did he think that it'd change one day? What pathetic hope could have darkened his vision of the world? What an idiot he was!  

He therefore expected to hear Chloe's light steps heading toward the door to close forever over Lucifer's ridiculous hopes. Instead, he felt a fine, well-known hand clasp his own with strength and tenderness at the same time. He held his breath in spite of himself. 

" Lucifer...", Chloe called him gently.  

The latter didn't turn. Why? He didn't know. He was just paralyzed by all sorts of emotions more contradictory than the others.  

" Lucifer...", she insisted.  

He sighed and turned his head very slowly towards her, but obstinately kept his eyes down. He refused to see fear into Chloe's gray eyes. He couldn't stand this or pretend it didn't affect him deeply. Not now. He needed time to once again assume his role as an unwavering devilish seducer. Chloe gently grabbed his chin and made him raise his head, forcing him to look her in the eye.  

There was no fear into them. Only a fierce, unwavering will. Lucifer lost himself into this powerful look.  

" I'm not going anywhere. I'm not afraid of you, Lucifer...You're still the same pain in the ass! ", she ended with a barely contained laugh.  

An infectious laugh. Lucifer stopped laughing with her after a few seconds and then took her hand – still against his chin – in his. Chloe looked at him in her turn, quiet. He stared at her a moment longer before asking:  

" Why? " 

There was no need for more than this simple word. The detective knew exactly what he was asking. Why did she not run away like all the others? Why was she staying with him? It was a complete mystery to Lucifer. A mystery that needed an answer. He hoped for an answer.  

Chloe smiled at him and said:  

" Because you are..." 

**_" LUCIFER!!! "_**  

The latter and the detective turned to the owner of this loud voice. For Lucifer's greatest misfortune, it was a little atrocity with braids and dragging behind her a pink schoolbag.  

_" Bloody Hell..."_ , Lucifer swore inside, letting himself fall heavily against the pillows.  

Trixie rushed to her mother who quickly put her on her knees and kissed the top of her skull. Lucifer looked at them disgustedly. Did they really want that he frowned up? How awful... 

" Hello, child...", he mumbled, stepping backwards as far as possible into his uncomfortable bed.  

He was suspicious of these bloody children, eager for hugs all the time. A real disease. She should be hospitalized, not him! Trixie gave him a radiant smile and almost jumped on Chloe's lap. It didn't seem to bother the latter. Who watched Lucifer strangely. A glance that didn't look too good.  

Not at all.  

"Mom, can I kiss Lucifer? ", asked the monstrosity with an angelic voice by turning her tiny head towards her mother.  

The latter looked at the same time her daughter's hopeful face and Lucifer's revolted, begging face. A Machiavellian smile briefly trimmed the detective's lips, a smile noticed by her partner. He straightened up a little against the pillows, on his guards.  

What was she up to?  

" Of course you can, sweetheart! Give him a  _biiigggggg_  kiss...he needs it to heal fast! ", Chloe innocently offered, placing Trixie closed to Lucifer's legs.  

He gave a dark look to Trixie and her mother. It was a frame-up. A sneaky murder attempt! He plunged as hard as possible against the pillows, a vain attempt to escape. The child inexorably approached him as Chloe was watching this with an amused glim in the eyes. Trixie went up clumsily on his knees, causing Lucifer to groan in pain. He was injured, fucking H...! Couldn't she be careful?! The little monstrosity clung to Lucifer's chest, the latter shuddering in disgust at this simple touch. He wouldn't survive, for sure... He thought he was strong enough, but...not now! He couldn't get rid of two demons in less than two days! Trixie leaned her round face toward Lucifer unshaven cheek. The latter widened his eyes with terror and quickly stretched his head to the side and as far as possible from the sticky lips.  

He couldn't die like this!  

The little slimy lips were only a few millimeters from his cheek. Lucifer could no longer escape his end. It was all over... 

He closed his eyes firmly: he didn't want to see this mess.  

It was like suckers of a slimy and putrid octopus. Just like the embrace. The little spawn didn't stop to the kiss, of course. She clearly had to strangle him in a possessive and awkward embrace. Why was everyone trying to kill him lately? He shuddered again in disgust under the sticky touch of her lips and looked briefly at the detective. She was laughing, contorting on her chair. He glared at her and stifled another groan under the painful embrace of the child.  

Chloe pulled herself together and released Lucifer from this torture. She took her daughter in her arms and put her back on the floor.  

" Wait me outside,  _Monkey_...Lucifer needs to rest, but I'm sure your kiss made him very happy.  ** _Right_** , Lucifer? ", Chloe implied, glancing at him.  

Lucifer shrugged and raised the blanket on his chest, exhausted. He waved his hand weakly towards the girl.  

" Yes...yes,  _Thank you_  offspring! ", he mumbled.  

Trixie jumped happily towards the bedroom door while waving her hand toward him.  

"Bye, Lucifer! " 

" Good Bye, small human..." 

Silence returned into the room. Silence broken by Lucifer after a while.  

" You did this on purpose, didn't you? ", he accused the detective.  

The latter was still looking the door and turned towards him, feigning surprise.  

" I don't know what you're talking about...", she exclaimed.  

Lucifer felt his eyes closing more and more. He could no longer keep them open. Fatigue anesthetized his body much more efficiently than morphine.  

" Liar...", he muttered, his voice stifled by exhaustion.  

His eyes closed in spite of himself and his body relaxed gradually. He felt a warm, moist touch against his temple. And a flowery scent. Chloe's scent. The latter gently removed her lips from his temple.  

" We'll talk about this later...'Glad you're not dead...", he thought he heard her whisper in his ear.  

Lucifer smiled, his mind anesthetized by exhaustion. The detective's light steps walked away from him as he plunged with delight into salutary arms.  

In the arms of Morpheus.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To be continued with...." We need to talk"  
> ____________________________________________________
> 
> Had she got her answer? Did she answer it by herself? The best thing to do was to ask it to the most directly concerned. All that would come from that moment would seal the rest. Everything. Absolutely everything gravitated around a single question. Always the same.  
> Chloe turned to Lucifer and looked him in the eye.  
> " Why did you come here, Lucifer? "  
> _______________________________  
> Author's Notes: 
> 
> Thanks again for reading me and commenting my story :)  
> Only two chapters left before the end!


	19. We need to talk

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again and again and again thank you for your comments, kudos and bookmarks ^^  
> Here is the new translated chapter!  
> Enjoyyyyyyyy!

Chloe stroked for the hundredth time the keys of her keypad and left for the hundredth time her mind wandered elsewhere.  

A direction diametrically opposed to the administrative task she was supposed to have closed for two hours. Two long hours broken with vain attempts to focus quickly shortened by a flood of contradictory thoughts in the detective's mind. The latter sighed deeply and glared at her screen. She had written hundreds of reports throughout her career, without any particular difficulty. And now she was having a huge mental block with this one. Not in relation to words, grammar or anything else...The events couldn't be more fresh in her mind, a perfect thread...Nothing big, really. A report, in short. Just a simple police report.  

The white and empty screen of any writing continued to taunt the young woman. The latter buried her face in her arms, then on her cold, metal desk. She let out another sigh of annoyance before straightening up slightly in front of her computer.  

_" It's just a report, Chloe...A fucking report...A_ _repoooorrrrtt_ _!! "_  

The detective leaned back on her chair, nibbling her lower lip mechanically under the frustration. She pulled her hair back and tied them into a fairly loose ponytail: a manual occupation like any other that would prevent her to chuck her computer in the middle of the precinct.  

Chloe knew perfectly well why writing this report was becoming an almost impossible mission at that moment.  

_Lucifer._  

It was him over and over again. It was the detailed report about that night. The car accident. The warehouse. The factory. Alastor. Lucifer brought back from the dead.  

To look at this report was to look at Lucifer. At the questions and the uncertainties that mistreated the detective's meninges night and day. It increased through this simple administrative task. And the young woman wasn't getting anywhere with it.  

Obviously... 

The content of the report wasn't a problem. It was obvious that the supernatural and extraordinary notions of the affair were about to be whisked away. For the greater good. The mental health of all sides was at stake. Putting the certified existence of angels and demons in the spotlight was a terrible idea... A very bad one. Chloe had already changed her side of the story for Dan. Repeating the exercise in the report should be easy.  

Lucifer had been trapped by an important member of the Russian Mob located in Los Angeles. He had refused to pay them substantial sums – more communally known as brides – required of each nightclub owner.  

That was typical Lucifer... 

Send dangerous crooks packing, only him could do this. The previous victims had made the same mistake, who unfortunately had no detective friend near them at the time of the incident. A half-truth. The previous victims were clearly killed for this reason. A lucky survivor of the cartel –  _lucky_  by miraculously escaping Mazikeen's claws – had confirmed this theory. Add Lucifer to the victims group wasn't strange. Alastor – identified on the police files as the most prolific butcher-executioner of the mob – had therefore arranged a private appointment with the detective's eccentric partner. An interview that hadn't been very successful for this notorious criminal. The goal of this appointment didn't matter. Not in a police report. Alastor had tried to kill them, she had opened fire. Bad man dead, nice guys alive. End of story.  

If only... 

Chloe rubbed her temples with her fingertips, a starting headache oppressing this part of her face. Writing this report was child's play.  _Should_  be child's play. This common paperwork wasn't the problem. The problem was the submerged part of the iceberg.  

She and Lucifer.  

The truth.  

Their relationship.  

This talk, which they should sooner or later have, and which was late to come. This talk that hovered like Sword of Damocles above them.  

They had left that out. Chloe hadn't wanted to harass Lucifer as soon as he awoke. She had decided to suffer in silence. Her efforts of mutism hardly repeated every day that passed, every day of convalescence of her partner. A convalescence much quicker than one could have hoped or even foreseen. But not enough for the detective. And probably too short for Lucifer. The doctors neither understood this. A dying man was brought at the hospital, who, a few days later, only had a few minor scratches. No one could have guessed that he had nearly lost his leg in a car accident or that he'd endured cruel tortures. Tortures normally leaving deep scars on the flesh. The medical staff didn't get it.  

And it was for the best.  

Lucifer was a miracle of science. The modern-day Lazarus... Chloe wouldn't have understood the underlying irony of this comparison a few weeks ago. Her life was so simple then. Much simpler. Just like her talks with her partner. Meaningless and empty talks from now on.  

As soon as Chloe paid a visit to Lucifer, the latter irrevocably diverted the discussion to other common, almost boring subjects. The food in the hospital, the pretty nurses, the questionable medicine... Anything. As long as they didn't  _really_  talk. He no longer made any allusion or comment about his  _Devil stuff_ , which was however common with him. And which was missing to the detective, to her astonishment.  

These sentences, these impenetrable hints...no longer hear them...it was no longer hearing Lucifer. The  _real_  Lucifer. She missed Lucifer, even if they were in the same room.  

A real talk seemed more and more essential. The young woman needed this. To clarify some things, from her and from him. They had lost enough time in groveling and other courtesy. The detective was tired of biding her time: Lucifer was convalescent, Lucifer needed time... 

All these phony excuses were no longer enough to restrain the many questions that Chloe wanted so much to ask her partner.  

It was high time.  

" Is everything OK? "  

The detective jumped – surprised – and raised her head to Dan, the latter looking at her. She straightened up in her seat and tried to display a relaxed expression.  

" Hi...Yeah, everything's fine" , she hastened to reply, pretending to tidy some scattered files on her desk. " I'm just...having trouble focusing today, that's all! " 

Dan gave her a suspicious look. Chloe knew he'd look deeper into this. Putting on an act wouldn't work with him. They had been married after all. He knew her enough to know that something was wrong. The young woman just hoped that her ex wouldn't look any further.  

A ridiculous hope.  

Dan glanced around, making sure there was no eavesdroppers nearby. He sat down on Chloe's desk and faced her, forcing the latter to look at him in turn.  

" Look...", he began. " I can see that you've been preoccupied since...that night. I know you've gone through hard times and..." 

He seemed to look for words, choosing them meticulously.  

" Anyway...I wanted you to know that I'm here...if you ever felt the need to talk about this...okay? " 

Chloe offered him a smile and put her hand on his arm to thank him.  

" That's nice, Dan. I'm fine, really...There's no problem. None. ", she reassured him.  

Dan nodded, half-convinced. Chloe focused her attention on her screen without being able to write anything. She had hoped that her ex would finally leave her and let her torture her mind alone. He was still obstinately sitting on the corner of her desk, staring at her insistently. Chloe knowing him to well, could almost sense another insidious question burning his lips.  

Question which came quickly.  

" You seemed very worried for Lucifer, right? ", he asked in a falsely neutral tone.  

" I was, indeed...", she replied carefully, on her guards.  

Where was he going with this?  

Dan pretended to find interesting a red pen on her desk before asking her again:  

" You seem... _close_ , don't you? Are you...you and him...? " 

Chloe took a deep breath before uttering a noisy sigh, an annoyed pout on her delicate lips. She rolled her eyes, shaking her head in spite. She had had enough. Why did everybody seem obstinate to push her into the Devil's arms? Their couple seemed viable for anyone except her.  

_Well..._  

" He's my partner...", she replied unthinkingly, on the defensive.  

" Right! ", Dan quickly added. " But you know, there's no big deal...We aren't engaged anymore...If you have feelings for someone else...", he insinuated clumsily.  

The detective was about to reply when her phone rang insistently near her keypad. Dan smiled at the young woman before walking away from her desk. Chloe glared at him and grabbed her phone violently. This object was a providential help during each impromptu sentimental questioning.  

" Decker... ", she said. 

"...What do you mean:  _he's gone?_  " 

 

** ***** **

 

She was going to kill him. To slaughter him. To blow him apart.  

The detective nervously patted her foot on the spotless black floor of Lux's private elevator. The floors passed with unbearable slowness for her. She contained with great difficulty her growing annoyance.  

Why did he run off the hospital?  

He was convalescent! Possibly a miracle man, but no so completely healed. It was easy to guess that Lucifer had simply exhausted his stocks of patience and willing. He had had enough of staying wisely in an uncomfortable bed and had gone home. It was as simple as that.  

But Chloe saw in this a grotesque attempt to avoid something. Or someone.  

He was running away from her. She.  

_Them._  

Their relationship.  

She couldn't just believe this. He wasn't going to snub her, was he? At least, Lucifer hadn't barricaded himself in his penthouse. He hadn't block the entrance of Lux or locked the private elevator. Chloe felt upset. And out of patience. She had spared him. Had waited for him wisely. And for what? For running away in the dark night?  

_" Faster...Faster..."_ , muttered the detective on the inside as she took off her leather jacket.  

She untied her hair and threw them back with an impatient gesture. 

He wouldn't escape her. They had to talk. Whether he likes it or not.  

The elevator finally stopped and the doors slowly opened on a melodious sound. Chloe came out of the cabin and walked a few steps into the dimly lit room at this late hour. She had thought of rushing to Lucifer and shaking him until his teeth rattle.  

But the young woman gave up this idea as soon as she heard her partner's melodious voice fill the room and her body.  

Lucifer was singing, plinking skillfully on his piano. She couldn't see his face. Only his back. He was wearing again a fitted vest, as dark as his hair. A purple shirt covered his brawny chest, the sleeves rising to the elbows. His head was moving slightly at the pace of the words and the melody.  

Chloe silently approached the bar and leaned against it, captivated by the spectacle offered by her partner.

  

**_When_** ** _you_** ** _were_** ** _here_** ** _before_**  

**_Couldn't_** ** _look_** ** _you_** ** _in the_** ** _eye_**  

**_You're_** ** _just_** ** _like_** ** _an_** ** _angel_**  

**_Your_** ** _skin_** ** _makes_** ** _me_** ** _cry_**  

 

She doubted he had felt her presence, too absorbed by his score. He was possessed by music. Possessed...The Devil... _possessed_. The detective could feel the emotions filter through her partner's deep voice. Emotions he skillfully concealed from her. Emotions she wouldn't have suspected.  

 

**_You_** ** _float_** ** _like_** ** _a_** ** _feather_**  

**_In a_** ** _beautiful_** ** _world_**  

**_And I_** ** _wish_** ** _I_** ** _was_** ** _special_**  

**_You're_** ** _so_** ** _fucking_** ** _special_**  

 

Lucifer's voice was only a breath, a murmur...powerful, bewitching. Was that even possible? His words seemed so weak and resounded strongly and clearly in Chloe's ears. Lucifer took a break in the melody, before singing just as softly – an unconceivable sweetness – the chorus.  

 

**_But_** ** _I'm_** ** _a_** ** _creep_** ** _..._** ** _I'm_** ** _a_** ** _weirdo_**  

**_What_** ** _the_** ** _Hell_** ** _am_** ** _I_** ** _doing_** ** _here_** ** _?_**  

**_I_** ** _d_** ** _on't_** ** _belong_** ** _here_**  

 

Sadness. His intonation was only sadness.  

 

**_I_** ** _don't_** ** _care if_** ** _it_** ** _hurts_**  

**_I_** ** _want_** ** _to have control_**  

**_I_** ** _want_** ** _a_** ** _perfect_** ** _body_**  

**_I_** ** _want_** ** _a_** ** _perfect_** ** _soul_**  

 

**_I_** ** _want_** ** _you_** ** _to notice_**  

**_When_** ** _I'm_** ** _not_** ** _around_**  

**_You're_** ** _so_** ** _fucking_** ** _special_**  

**_I_** ** _wish_** ** _I_** ** _was_** ** _special_**  

 

**_But_** ** _I'm_** ** _a_** ** _creep_** ** _..._** ** _I'm_** ** _a_** ** _weirdo_**  

**_What_** ** _the_** ** _Hell_** ** _am_** ** _I_** ** _doing_** ** _here_** ** _?_**  

**_I_** ** _d_** ** _on't_** ** _belong_** ** _here_**  

 

He took another break, briefly. Chloe heard Lucifer's voice taking up a notch...powerful, bewitching. A deep voice, his fingers running with fluidity on the piano keys. He put all his strength into this, all his voice.  

 

**_She's_** ** _running out_** ** _again_** ** _,_**  

**_S_** ** _he's_** ** _running out_**  

**_S_** ** _he's_** ** _run_** ** _run_** ** _run_** ** _run_**  

 

He had an...extraordinary voice. An angel's voice. Chloe couldn't have been closer to the truth. His voice sang the high notes, without any wrong note and with a redoubled power. The last sentence almost screamed with grace to heaven. Screamed at Chloe. Lucifer descended a few octaves until being silent for a moment, his hands still playing. He repeated the chorus one last time in a murmur that was barely audible, murmur carried by an infectious emotion.  

 

**_Whatever_** ** _makes_** ** _you_** ** _happy_**  

**_Whatever_** ** _you_** ** _want_**  

**_You're_** ** _so_** ** _fuckin_** ** _'_** ** _special_**  

**_I_** ** _wish_** ** _I_** ** _was_** ** _special_**  

**_But_** ** _I'm_** ** _a_** ** _creep_** ** _..._** ** _I'm_** ** _a_** ** _weirdo_**  

**_What_** ** _the_** ** _Hell_** ** _am_** ** _I_** ** _doing_** ** _here_** ** _?_**  

**_I_** ** _d_** ** _on't_** ** _belong_** ** _here_**  

 

**_I_** ** _don't_** ** _belong_** ** _here_** ** _..._**  

 

Lucifer plinked on for a moment, thus closing the melody. A reverent silence filled the room. Chloe didn't move, continuing to look at her partner. The latter quietly closed the black music stand before taking the glass placed on the grand piano. He brought it to his lips as the detective silently advanced towards him.  

" You know...we usually avoid alcohol after an hospitalization. ", she said as she reached him.  

Lucifer jumped slightly. He hadn't heard her arrive, it was now certain. He turned to her, his glass barely drank in his hand. Chloe looked at his face. He sported a few cuts near his eyebrow and a faded bruise on the neck. A few more days and he would be as good as new. He stared at her without saying a word, surprised to see her here. Chloe smiled at him and sat down beside him, laying her jacket on the polished wood of the musical instrument.  

Lucifer stared at her for a moment before turning away, trying to pull himself together. Or rather trying to assume his role of daredevil seducer, without taboos. A self-satisfied grin came on his lips as he put his glass down on the piano.  

" I wanted to celebrate my return among the living in a dignified way, you can't blame me for that Detective! "  

She let her gaze wander for a moment on her partner's hand. Which previously surrounded his glass...Which was again wearing this strange ring. This ring which was made of a stone as dark as the nothingness had now tiny... microscopic whitish veins on either side of its surface. They weren't there before, Chloe could have sworn it. That was strange.  

The young woman stopped taking interest in it to focus her attention on her partner with shifty eyes. That was new. An embarrassed silence settled between them. Silence none of them seemed ready to break. This silence that would be broken in a much more serious approach. A Decisive one. Silence that the detective had to break. She absently caressed the polished wood of the piano with her fine fingers, observing the fine regular grooves on the material.  

" I wasn't sure what to ask you first...Not until tonight. I have so much questions that's been running through my mind for quite a while...Can you sleep? How old are you? What Heaven looks like? God? How was Jesus?...", recited the young woman, a knowing smile on her lips while Lucifer hardly held back his by listening to her predictable questions.  

She pinched her lips to hold a nervous laugh and absently pulled a few locks behind her ear. These were questions she dreamed of having answers to. There were not, however, important questions. Not essential... 

Chloe wanted to ask the right questions.  ** _The_** right question.  

" But then...I remembered this question...the one I asked Maze...a few days ago. It feels like a lifetime ago! She didn't really answered me....Or maybe she did..."  

Had she got her answer? Did she answer it by herself? The best thing to do was to ask it to the most directly concerned. All that would come from that moment would seal the rest. Everything. Absolutely everything gravitated around a single question. Always the same.  

Chloe turned to Lucifer and looked him in the eye.  

" Why did you come here, Lucifer? "  

The latter didn't answer immediately, his gaze fixed on hers. There was no blinking of eyes. Breaking this eye contact seemed impossible for both of them. They clung to each other with a single glance. Lucifer let out a sigh and smirked. A weary smile. He picked up the bottle on the piano and served him again a generous dose of alcohol under his partner's eyes.  

" Well...I could at least answer to your previous questions first, don't you think? ", he suggested lightly, pouring the amber liquid into his glass. " I can sleep...I eat like you and, as you may have noticed... I do not  _shine_ in the Sun! Well...I light up the world by my single presence... it's metaphorical, Detective! I'm certainly not a fancy jewel, don't worry...", he joked.  

Lucifer exchanged a look with Chloe and stopped talking, his face losing all trace of amusement. Chloe didn't want to joke and leave the subject aside. Lucifer understood this perfectly. He turned his face away and swallowed, distractedly stroking the crystalline surface of his glass.  

" I suppose the other questions can wait...You desire an answer... And I owe you this, right? " 

" Yeah...", she whispered, not taking her eyes off her partner, spying on each of his gestures.  

Another silence settled between them. Silence that Chloe didn't try to break. It was Lucifer's turn to speak. She had to wait. She trusted him. She would have an answer. Not necessarily the one she hoped for or the one she was anticipating. An honest answer.  

Lucifer seemed lost in thought, dark and tormented thoughts. He continued to skim his glass with one hand, without looking at the detective. His face deliberately turned towards the crystal glass. 

" You know like me the bad sides of the stage, if I may say so...After playing into this wonderful stripped movie, you probably noticed it too, didn't you? Whatever you do... Anything...Wherever you go... You are  _as one_ with this role for the entire world...", he murmured in a weary voice.  

Chloe understood that too well. " _Hot Top High School_  " had stuck her an image of a girl of easy virtue, People saw nothing else, nothing more than this. For Lucifer... It was the same... and so different... much worse.  

" Whatever I do...I am Evil...I  _incarnate_  Evil...because I punish Evil. I'm nothing else. A monster...punishing other monsters. I am the Devil for the entire world...in the eyes of the universe. Across the Ages. Across cultures...I'm just a monster..."  

Chloe saw the muscles of Lucifer's jaw tighten under the rancor. The crystalline material gently creaked under his firm grip, but didn't break.  

" Why did I come here?...I wanted to... run away. This image...This role that has been sticking to my skin for millennia. I've come here to live... to be who I really am. Who I  _want_  to be. And more than anything... I wanted to be  _seen_...without millennia and absurd prejudices... Be seen, Detective..."  

Silence settled once more between them, silence only disturbed by their slow and deep breaths. Without a word, slowly, the young woman approached Lucifer a few inches. The latter persisted in looking with a feigned fascination the glass filled with amber liquid. Still as slowly, Chloe raised her right hand to her partner's face. She seized his chin with extreme gentleness and made him turned his face toward hers. Lucifer looked into her eyes, a sad, resigned look into the detective's gray eyes. The latter moved her hand from Lucifer's chin to his unshaved cheek, gently stroking it. They looked at each other without saying a word a moment. A moment that seemed to last an eternity.  

" I  ** _see_**  you...Lucifer Morningstar. ", murmured Chloe.  

Lucifer's onyx eyes expressed a whole range of contradictory emotions. Gratitude, tenderness, surprise, fear... Emotions shared by Chloe. Her hand was still on his rough cheek. Lucifer raised his arm and stroke the young woman's cheek in turn, both lost in the other's gaze.  

Nothing else mattered except them. Except that look. That touch.  

Slowly, Chloe raised her face to Lucifer as the latter leaned toward her. Their breath came to ruffle their respective skin, making them both shiver. They didn't think about the consequences. About the repercussions. About logic. Logic had no place here. This was madness...A tempting madness...A wonderful sin.  

Their lips were only a few millimeters apart, their breath mixing skillfully. Lucifer continued to stare at her.  

" Chloe...", he whispered as a supplication.  

A supplication that got the better of them. The thin distance between their lips was quickly traversed, sealing into a painful and powerful embrace. Lucifer's lips were scorching and sweet, intoxicating...spicy. This simple touch bewitched her senses, putting the detective at his mercy. As Lucifer was at the young woman's mercy. One irremediably depending on the other to live. Chloe moved her hands toward her partner's neck, languorously stroking his neck across his collar. Lucifer grunted of contentment against her fleshy lips and grasped her face forcefully. She belonged to him. Just as he belonged to her. He deepened the kiss, his tong begging the passage, skillfully skimming the surface of her lips. The young women opened them gently, her tongue skillfully stroking by his, mixing their breath into a single hoarse breathing. She felt Lucifer stroking her hair, her neck and her shoulders. Chloe had the same intense need for touch. His muscular torso, his arms, his hair. Kissing Lucifer was...kissing the very idea of a kiss. A complete action, without half measure. Perfect. Chloe felt  _complete_... 

They moved away from each other, breathless, her forehead against his. The young woman still held the crumpled collar of his shirt in her hands, fearing without it that Lucifer would move away from her. The latter gently stroked Chloe's arm, a smile of contentment on his face.  

" I thought you would  _never_ succumb to my charms, Detective? ", he mocked her in a hoarse voice.  

Chloe pulled away from his embrace, a few millimeters apart, their faces still very close to each other. She glared at him and let out an half-exasperated, half-delighted exclamation.  

" I thought you'd stop to be a pain in the ass...", she replied in the same tone.  

Lucifer laughed softly and approached his face to Chloe's, his long nose gently skimming hers.  

"  _Touché_ , Chloe... _Touché_. " 

He approached his lips to hers again, a delightful maneuver for the young woman. Staying so, into Lucifer's arms was a wonderful way to end this day. To end this story. To move forwards. A fresh breeze ruffled the bottom of her hair. Chloe shuddered under it touch as Lucifer sat up quickly, suddenly upset. They both turned to the origin of this incongruous breeze.  

" What the H-...! ", swore her partner as he moved away from the piano and Chloe.  

A shadow stood out from the darkness of the room. A shadow that turned out to be Amenadiel. The latter displayed a serious expression. An expression that ended the moment shared by both partners. Amenadiel advanced toward his brother, brother which was quite on edge, and said with a deep voice:  

" We need to talk..." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To be continued with...." Hell"  
> ______________________________________________________  
> Lucifer sighed once more, tired of all this. By all that would follow. He'd have so much wanted to enjoy this evening with Chloe. Alone. Without parasites or gruesome future to analyze. Because Lucifer had already done this. He had thought about this mess over and over again. He wasn't stupid or reckless. He just had everyone believed this. Even before his brother comes here...before Chloe comes to his place...even before leaving the hospital, Lucifer knew what to do.  
> ___________________________________________  
> Let a comment as always and until next time ^^
> 
> The song : Creep - Brian Justin  
> Fandom vidéo : Lucifer and Chloe "Now we know why Chloe's so special" - Artes


	20. Hell

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What does Amenadiel want? And who's threaten Lucifer's life?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello Everyone!  
> I really appreciated your comments so far! :) I could see you like this story a lot ^^  
> I won't complain about that, of course!  
> I had time to spare so I decided to publish sooner today!  
> It's the end, anyway.  
> TT *snif snif!  
> The LAST chapter with big revelations ^^  
> Are you ready? Are you sure?  
> Ok, then...Let's read this!

The evening had a pretty good start.  

Until now.  

Lucifer had managed to sneak out of the hospital. Like a ninja...or Batman. A flirtatious glance here and a pleasant conversation there did the trick. He was free. Free to sleep on a real bed, to taste real food and to put on decent clothes. The last point was crucial. Essential.  

There wasn't a living soul in his club, not even Mazikeen. Another good point for him. He had been able to enjoy quietly the providential comfort of his penthouse without any insistent questions of the demon on his condition or on other unpleasant things to which Lucifer didn't want to think about. A glass of whiskey... His piano. Lucifer didn't need more to enjoy his evening. He had absent-mindedly played some partitions, enjoying these simple notes. He felt like he hadn't played for millennia. The cold touch of the keys against his fingers was comforting. But not enough entertaining.  

His mind had irremediably wandered towards this famous night, the last events... and this bloody mission. Not forgetting his dear detective. Her heavy gray eyes, an implicit look. Innuendo of imminent talk. A conversation Lucifer didn't want to begin. The beginning of this conversation would mark the end of something else. A thing he didn't want to stop.  

But things would change... They had already changed.   

Lucifer had noticed it. This distance between them... They trod each other carefully, the ridiculous kowtowing's and drifts used by both in each interview. He couldn't help himself. She couldn't help herself. Things had changed. It was what it was.  

And Lucifer had felt a painful internal grip in his chest. He hadn't been able to identify it, to put words on this unpleasant sensation. It was physical, but it had nothing to do with his wounds. A suffocating pressure between his ribs, in his throat...everywhere. The same odd sensation had appeared when he thought he was dying and no longer saw her again.  

Chloe... 

It was  _her_. 

She who provoked all this in him. Lucifer couldn't define whether this disconcerting sensations were positive or not. Were they? What were they? What did they mean? He felt all sorts of emotions with a new intensity. Joy, anger, fear, sadness, rancor... These emotions had overwhelmed him, stifled him... Stifled his mind, his senses, his reason. 

Lost, cornered by this internal torment, Lucifer had done the only thing that was physically and consciously possible to him at that moment to not go downhill. Put words, music on his feelings. He was alone. Too bad if what came out of his mouth was meaningless or too much... he was alone. Alone with his new sensations and his music.  

Alone.  

That's what he thought.  

Once again, Lucifer was wrong. Once again, Chloe came...to enlighten the darkness that threatened to imprison him.  She caused and appeased his intense and disorienting emotions with a curious facility for the Devil. Who was she? An angel sent by  ** _H_** _is_   ** _F_** ather? A simple human?  

 _Who?_  

A talk. An admission. An embrace. A kiss.  

No.... ** _The_**  kiss.  

Yes...The evening had a wonderful start.  

Before a huge grimy pigeon burst onto the balcony.  

 

** ***** **

 

Lucifer glared at Amenadiel as he left the balcony and entered the living room. How dare did he disturb him? Disturb them? Was he beset by some suicidal impulses? A pleasant idea in the eyes of Lucifer, but quite inappropriate. He'd noticed that his brother had systematically a bad timing.  

Systematically.  

Any reasonable person would have understood that it clearly was not the time to embarrass him with any situation to questionable gravity. The Devil was never disturbed right in the middle of flirtation. Certainly not during this one.  _Especially_  not during this one. Lucifer felt the rage compress his sore limbs, his eyes glowing lightly in their sockets. He was glad that Chloe was still sitting at the piano behind him, hiding thus his fury from her. The last thing Lucifer wanted at that moment was to frighten her.  

Frightening his brother on the other hand... 

Tempting... _Terribly_  tempting.  

Lucifer remembered his last treason too well. Linda, the theft. The manipulation. We didn't play with fire. Amenadiel should have known that. And should have avoided to get on The Lord of Hell's nerves. Many ideas of torture crossed Lucifer's mind.  

Dismemberment? Hmmm....No. Too messy. Drowning? Too long. Plucking him? Aahhhhh....Why not?  

Amenadiel kept some distance between them. He wasn't completely stupid after all. Who'd have thought? Some things could still surprise Lucifer. The latter felt Chloe moving near the piano, but he didn't turn to her – all his muscles stretched toward the fight to come. There would be a fight. Lucifer needed to let off steam. He really needed to.  

" We need to talk, Lucifer...", Amenadiel repeated, bossy, as usual.  

Lucifer let out a disdainful exclamation and buried his hands in his pockets.  

" About what? Your millennia screw-up? It might take a while! I have neither the desire nor the energy for this kind of irrelevant conversation... And you'll probably notice that I'm not alone! ", he said, pointing his partner with a movement of arm.  

Amenadiel turned his head towards Chloe, half-hidden behind Lucifer's imposing frame. She shifted slightly, coming to the left of her partner. The detective gave a pleasant but although somewhat fixed grin to his brother.  

" Good Evening, Amenadiel. ", she said.  

" Hello, Chloe. How are you? " 

" I'm fine, Thanks. And y-…", she began.  

Lucifer let out a loud and intentional sigh, interrupting this conversation cloaked with useless and ridiculous civilities. He saw the detective turning to him and sighing in turn, shaking her head. Lucifer didn't get flustered. He wasn't in the mood to make polite efforts with his vain family.  

" What's next, Detective? You're going to offer him a coffee?! ", he replied, irritated by these masquerade and subterfuges. " In case you haven't noticed, I'm trying to get rid of the recalcitrant roach's so that we can go back to where we le-…" 

The doors of the elevator opened and freed a Mazikeen particularly on edge.  

"  ** _Bloody Hell!_**  ", yelled Lucifer, rolling his eyes, exasperated. " This is the worst foursome you can imagine! " 

" Gross...", murmured Chloe for herself.  

The demon threw her black jacket on the sofa and walked over to the bar, without a glance at the people present. She grabbed the first visible bottle and drank straight from it several sips, as if its contents was not alcohol. Lucifer sighed again in frustration before grabbing his own glass on the piano and emptying it.  

" So...What's the  _big_  emergency, Am'? ", the demon asked after emptying half the bottle. " I had to cancel my date! You better have a really good reason to stop me from having a roll in the hay...", she warned him, slamming her sharp nails on the marble counter.  

" A date? ", repeated Lucifer, intrigued.  

Since when did Maze need a date to get laid? Strange. Really strange. Lucifer was literally burning to know more about this, but what he really wanted was silence. Exterminate the rats in this room and stay alone with Chloe. Amenadiel let his eyes travel between the demon and the two partners, trapped in the middle of them. He let out a sigh of annoyance as Mazikeen began to empty the rest of the bottle.  

" Since when did you need dates to have some carnal pleasures, Maze? ", Lucifer asked her, a smirk on his lips.  

" It's none of your business...", she replied curtly.  

Chloe was skeptically watching this unusual meeting and contented herself with remaining silent at Lucifer's side. The latter shrugged, unimpressed by the threatening tone of the demon and approached her to spare the rest of the bottle. Maze wiped her lips with the back of her hand and fell flat on her face on her master's sofa, a scowl on her face. Lucifer poured the rest of the bottle into his glass and went back to the detective, without looking at this brother.  

" What do you want? ", finally asked Lucifer.  

He didn't understand why this feathered asshole was here. Even less why he had "summoned" Mazikeen. This evening was turned into complete disaster. It had had a really good start...Such a shame.  

" Answers...", Amenadiel told him.  

" I'm sorry, you'll have to be slightly more specific, brother! I'm not really focused tonight...I had other plans in mind...", Lucifer taunted him, giving a knowing smile to Chloe, who blushed slightly at the hint.  

" Do not play dumb with me, Luci...", Amenadiel warned him, his jaw tensing with anger. " We have to talk about what happened that night! " 

Lucifer drank a gulp of amber liquid. Slowly. Very slowly. Getting on his brother's nerves was funny and so feeble revenge for this untimely visit. He made clicking noises with his tongue: this bourbon was divine. So to speak, of course! Too bad Maze didn't know how to appreciate it. These grand cru had to be savor properly. Slowly... 

" What night are you talking about, Amenadiel? ", the Devil asked again, feigning confusion.  

" Lucifer...", murmured Chloe, grabbing his arm.  

Lucifer shuddered at this cold, gentle touch on his burning skin. The detective created new and delicious sensations in him.  

And to say that he couldn't deal with them in depth tonight... 

He looked the young woman in the eye. She tightened her hand a little more around his arm, enjoining him to calm down and try maturity for once. He sighed again before glancing at his brother, asking him to pursue with a movement of hand.  

" This demon...Alastor...He couldn't block my powers on his own. You can't do it yourself...", the angel began.  

" At the risk of contradicting you, brother...", couldn't help but say the Devil. " You _might_ not be as powerful as you think! " 

It was just too tempting. 

And the Devil was quite known for not resisting temptations. Rather to encourage them. He saw his brother's face take on an ungraceful purple hue as a result of his anger. Lucifer let out a sneer as he approached his glass from his lips. Amenadiel was now clenching his fits, furious by this dig. A heavy, oppressive energy overwhelmed the whole room, the lights fluctuating for a moment under this influx of power released by the black angel. Chloe stepped back while still pressing her partner's arm, worried. Lucifer stiffened in turn. How dare he threaten him so? He felt the harmful energy flowing and crackling in his veins. The warmth of the room increased significantly in a matter of seconds while a red aura surrounded Lucifer's body.  

He was going to smash him to a pulp. To rip him apart. Piece by piece. Slowly...Carefully... 

 ** _" LUCIFER! "_**  

The latter jumped and focused his blazing gaze on his partner. She was now before him, her fine hands on his chest. She looked him in the eye and stroked his cheek with one hand. He saw no fear in her clear eyes. Just anxiety. For him. Her anxiety, this lack of fear in her...purged the Devil of all negative energy with disconcerting rapidity and ease. He felt the Hellish Flames leave his onyx eyes and the room cool off instantly. Chloe kept a hand on her partner's chest while turning to Amenadiel.  

" If you threaten him again, I'll lend him a hand to smash you, is that clear? ", the young woman said coldly.  

Oh, he really liked this woman!  

" Detective! I'm impressed! I thought I'd be lectured like a three-year-old...", he wondered as Chloe finally pulled her hand out of his chest.  

" It's not too late, Lucifer.", she warned him as she walked away from him, a knowing smile on her delightful lips.  

If only they were alone... 

" It's not to be the little bird's advocate but...", the demon shouted at them, still sitting casually in the sofa. " ...I rather agree with him. " 

Lucifer quickly thrown up his hands as a sign of helplessness. Why? Why did he have to endure this? He finally got it on with the detective and that was his reward?! A foul-mouthed brother and a traitorous demon? He'd never thought understanding one day what this bearded maniac called Jesus by mortals could have lived on the Mont of Olives. He was served up to Romans...How tragic...He only wanted an one-on-one discussion with Chloe. To talk to her...among other things. They could possibly talk. If it was absolutely necessary.  

Maze sat up and put her legs on the glass table near the sofa.  

" Alastor could block me easily...not this dumbass! ", she pointed this out to the both partners, pointing vaguely the feathered dumbass in question.  

The latter grimaced to the insult, but remained in control of himself this time. To Lucifer's disappointment. Action was always salutary. Distractions too. The conversation was taking a dangerous and extremely slippery turn. Towards a destination that Lucifer didn't want to see or even approach tonight. Never, for that matter. Maze focused her attention on Lucifer as he slowly walked towards the balcony. He searched into his pockets for a cigarette. He leaned against the glass barrier, letting his eyes wander over the luminous city landscape at his feet. A fresh breeze ruffled his face and his dark hair. He gently lit his cigarette and took a long puff before turning around. They were all staring at him in a virtually religious silence. Mazikeen ran her hand through her hair before continuing:  

" Alastor had been trapped here on Earth for millennia, Lucifer. We've been here for five years...He could have attacked you anywhere, anytime! Why now? " 

Lucifer didn't say anything. To everyone's surprise. Amenadiel struggled to stay calm, but couldn't help casting hateful glances at his younger brother. Young brother unmoved to this pathetic hatred. Chloe walked over to her partner and stopped at the entrance of the balcony.  

" Lucifer...What did he want? ", she asked in turn, her blond hair gently ruffled by the night wind.  

He took a second puff, exhaling the smoke through his nose. Remain silent was stupid. At this point...he could destroy any chance to spend a pleasant night. He should sooner or later deal with this mess. Imposed or not by a lazy omnipotent ** _J_** erk.  

Lucifer raised his right hand, the one with this jewel sealed for a very long time to his skin, to his Soul. He saw thin white grooves on the onyx stone, white lines crossing each other subtly in its center. He frowned, puzzled. He had noticed this change as soon as he awoke in hospital, but still couldn't explain it. Was that good? Dangerous? Was it due to the smidgeon exaggerated release of his divine powers? Lucifer couldn't answer this. He just hoped this small detail wouldn't matter or have major and disastrous consequences in the future. A dark future... even without this showy jewel.  

" This...", he simply answered, his eyes still focused on this ring forever welded to his finger.  

" Why is it so special? ", asked the detective, puzzled.  

He remembered that this whole world was quite new for the young woman. He felt so relieved about it that he forgot the essential. No longer hiding a part of himself was wonderful. However, he had to act as a guide for his partner in all these... supernatural notions. Her single basis was for the most part a pack of fantastic stupidities delivered by some very creative humans... and probably highly doped at the time. Opium had its glory hours.  

Amenadiel answered for Lucifer.  

" This ring is part of Lucifer. It contains his...demonic essence. The energy of the Underworld is enclosed in it. It's an unlimited source of power...uncontrollable between other hands than his. ", he concluded, pointing his chin to his brother.  

" Great...", mumbled the demon, jaded like never before. " It doesn’t tell us how Alastor nearly killed us."  

Lucifer sighed angrily and threw his cigarette away. No, Maze was right. Alastor's ambitions had nothing to do with the heart of the problem. Or maybe it had...Was it planned? Meticulously scripted by this...?  

" Lucifer? ", Chloe called him softly.  

The latter got out of his thoughts to give a reassuring smile to his partner.  

" He didn't do this alone...Between two tortures,  _M_ _ister_  had the kindness to allude to a benefactor. Someone who'd have given his powers back. Someone who doesn't like me...Unbelievable, right? ", the Devil joked, a bitter smile on his face.  

Someone he didn't want to see again. Someone he preferred to forget.  

Amenadiel looked surprised, as did Mazikeen. Only Chloe didn't seem disturbed by this revelation, no doubt owing to the new aspect of this conversation. She couldn't apprehend the seriousness of the situation like Lucifer or like the other two cockroaches. Amenadiel seemed about to say something, but changed his mind. He stared back at his brother, sounded out his whole body. That's Lucifer's impression. He felt slightly raped under this insistent eye control, for that matter. Amenadiel was certainty not the person with whom the Devil couldn't wait to make this fantasy a reality. The person concerned by this carnal act also seemed lost in her thoughts – her blond hair partly hiding her pretty face.  

" Luci...What did ** _H_** _e_  tell you? ", whispered his brother.  

" Who are you talking about, brother? ", Lucifer taunted him again, amused.  

" ** _H_** _e_  saved you, didn't  ** _H_** _e_? ", the black angel said. " It's never free of charge with  ** _H_** _im_ , Luce...What did  ** _H_** _e_  tell you? " 

Chloe looked at Lucifer and his brother, confused. Lucifer continued to stare defiantly at his big brother, resting casually against the glass barrier of the balcony. He gently patted the thin, transparent material of his fingers – his dark eyes not leaving his brother's brown eyes.  

" Who's  _Him_? ", the detective exclaimed.  

" God...Detective. ** _M_** y  ** _D_** ear  ** _F_** ather had decided to bring me back from the dead...So charitable, isn't  ** _H_** _e_? " , Lucifer said sarcastically.   

"  _God_...Right...", Chloe breathed, completely losing track of what he was saying. " God, who's your father...rose you...from the dead, am I right? "  

Lucifer nodded feebly, still looking the feathered asshole in the eye. He saw from the corner of his eye the young woman bit her lower lip. An habit that his partner had systematically when she racked her brain on a case. Mazikeen watched her master and the angel carefully, awaiting the imminent explosion. An explosion that Lucifer was hoping for. He didn't want to pursue this discussion. Not with that angelic dumbass. Not tonight. He didn't like being cornered thereby...forced to reveal delicate information to calm his brother's nerves. The Devil loved to have control. He didn't control anything here...except the pedantic angel's mood who had been giving him a death stare for a long time.  

" What did  ** _H_** _e_  tell you? ", he asked him a third time, a nervous tic twitching the protruding muscles from his neck.  

Lucifer uttered a disdainful exclamation before releasing his grip on the glass barrier. Chloe was continuing to stare at him, as was doing Maze. He burrowed his hands again in his pockets, another smirk rising on his lips.  

" You're really an angel to believe in miracles, my dear brother! ** _F_** ather... _talking to someone_? You and I both know that is not one of his strong suits! I've always been amazed at the accuracy of divine orders transposed in the Bible, by the way...It seems easier for  ** _H_** _im_ to speakto humans...There's maybe a relaying problem as far as  ** _H_** _is_ family is concerned...", The Devil assumed, his black browns frowned on thought.  

Mazikeen sighed and fell flat on her face again in the sofa, irritated by this ludicrous quarrel. Chloe crossed her arms and looked at her partner. A warning look. Lucifer didn't want to argue with the detective. Especially after their passionate embrace.  

What he wouldn't do for her... 

He rolled his eyes, an umpteenth sigh of resignation escaping from his mouth. Lucifer went into the living room, passed the irate detective and his pretentious brother to stop in front of the immaculate counter. He took a clean glass and a bottle, pouring a good dose of alcohol into it. He could use for a pick-me-up to face what will follow. He drank a sip of the scented liquid before gently resting his glass on the bar, only showing his back to the others.   

'Time for the Devil to spill the beans... 

" It seems that I am not the only black sheep in the family, brother...", Lucifer murmured without turning, stroking the smooth surface of the glass before him with one finger.  

" What do you mean, Luci? ", Amenadiel exclaimed.  

Lucifer was silent for a moment, captivated by the luminous grooves produced by the glass on the counter. He swallowed and turned slightly, again plunging his dark look into his brother's confused one. An oppressive silence filled the dimly lit room.  

The calm before the storm.  

" Alastor was helped by... an archangel. An archangel is behind this. " 

Amenadiel once again sounded out Lucifer's black eyes, possibly hoping to find a clue...something which would prove that the words said by his youngest brother were nothing more but lies and trickery.  

But if there was one thing we could concede to the Devil...it was honesty. Lucifer wasn't lying. He never lied. Never.  

Amenadiel was frozen, deeply affected by this news. Disastrous news. Lucifer smiled inwardly, though his face only expressed seriousness at that moment. Just this once won't hurt. The identity of this archangel was much worse, more disastrous than the involvement of an archangel in itself. A "common" archangel would have been much simpler to neutralize. Why was everything always so complicated?  

" Who...", finally whispered his brother, interrupting the Devil's bad thoughts. " Who...of all ** _F_** ather's soldiers...could defy  ** _H_** _is_   ** _W_** ill?  _Who_ , brother? ", almost begged Amenadiel.  

Silence filled the space between them again, silence only disrupted by the outside breeze and their breathing. Lucifer let his attention wander on the cold, damp texture of the glass he had in his hand. He stroked the cool surface of the thumb without looking anyone. It was time to lift the curtain on this.  

" Michael. " 

 

** ***** **

 

Lucifer waited patiently that everyone come to terms with this Dantesque information, as well as the disastrous consequences of it. Because they'd be disastrous. Apocalyptic. It couldn't be otherwise with  _him._    

" Michael? ", repeated the demon, until then fallen flat on her face on the sofa. " Like... ** _THE_**  Michael? " 

" The one and only, darling! ", Lucifer said, bringing his glass to his lips.  

Chloe remained silent, lost in thoughts, probably gathering her meager knowledge about the archangel Michael. Humans only knew a tiny part of the story. If only they knew the rest of it... The young woman approached the sofa, taking a seat beside the demon. Lucifer was surprised to see the latter deliberately shift to leave her a comfortable seat. She didn't want to tear her up anymore? Good news, though very odd. Chloe leaned forward - her elbows resting on her knees – and pinched her lips, puzzled. Lucifer admired the fluidity of her gestures, her long golden hair gracefully falling on her shoulders. The thin wrinkles between her eyebrows under concentration.  

" Lies... ", suddenly mumbled Amenadiel.  

Lucifer stopped his delightful observations and focused his attention on the motionless moron in front of him. The latter was clenching his fists forcefully against his sides, as straight as a ramrod. Which was possibly normal, considering the huge broom stuck in his butt. Accusing an archangel of high treason appeared completely unconceivable for his brother, so it seemed. Lucifer was peeved by this ridiculous denial. And really upset to be called a liar. Seriously...Why could he gain by unfairly accusing Michael? The Devil sighed with rancor, darting his flamboyant gaze on the annoyed pigeon before emptying his glass in one go. He put this one forcefully on the counter, making Chloe jumped.  

"I NEVER lie, brother! Never. If you call me a liar...You call  ** _Him_**  a liar! ", he spat vehemently.  

Amenadiel pulled a face by speaking of the  ** _H_** _oly_ ** _F_** _ather_. They both glared at each other for seconds that seemed to last for minutes. Both were on edge. Both would have liked never know the identity of this damned archangel or to be involved in this story. Whether it's a vital mission in the eyes of God or not. The detective gently cleared her throat, wanting to draw their attention to her and her possible questions. Lucifer broke this eye contact with his brother and gave an encouraging smile to his partner.  

" I'm really sorry if my questions are ridiculous, but all this is new for me. And I wasn't a constant student at Sunday school. ", explained the young woman quickly.  

" I can't say I'm surprised, Detective! So young...and already so rebellious! We were meant to be together! ", Lucifer was pleased to say, a naughty smile rising on his face.  

Chloe's cheeks flushed slightly as she looked away, embarrassed. Lucifer smiled even more. Perturbing her was so easy! The young woman quickly put herself together and began questioning the two brothers:  

" Who's Michael exactly? " 

Lucifer and Amenadiel briefly shared a look before turning to the detective.  

" My twin.", the Devil answered reticently.  

The latter poured him a generous dose of alcohol. Alcohol was a real blessing. A necessity. A way to survive this disastrous night. Chloe looked skeptical about this information.  

 " Twins...Which means that...you and he....you are...", implied the detective, pointing her finger at her partner – the latter still leaning on the bar.  

" We're totally identical, yes! Except the hair and the eyes color...No wonder that humans nonstop got me mixed up with him! ", Lucifer mumbled for himself. " Me... _Blonde_? Tchhhhh...And the temperament! " 

" Sure... _Completely_  different! ", Amenadiel mocked him.  

Lucifer gave the feathered jerk - who's supposed to be his brother - a death stare. We clearly didn't choose our family. Lucifer grabbed his glass and walked away into the living room while drinking another sip of liquor. He stopped on the threshold of the balcony, enjoying the gently breeze brought by this night. He felt an unpleasant pressure clamping his temples and the outside coolness did him some good. He closed his eyes for a moment, enjoying this respite, while his brother tried to explain their complex family hierarchy to Chloe.  

" Michael is the leader of the archangels. He's considered – in human publications – as the most powerful and...most beautiful angel created to date. He's not known for his patience or his goodwill. He's teeny bit...violent! " 

" But why did he want so much to destroy Lucifer? ", his partner asked again. " And why now? "  

" That's an excellent question,  _Love_. I'll certainly ask him before being run through with his bloody sword again! ", proposed the Devil in a falsely playful tone.  

Mazikeen burst out laughing in the sofa, unimpressed by the gravity of the events. The pending threat of an overpowering archangel didn't seem to scare her in the least or calm her irritation. Lucifer didn't react, lost in thought...in memories. Michael. Of all the archangels...Of all the morons fluttering silly up there.. _.he_ was the one to neutralize. Did he have to neutralize him? Once more, His Dear Old Dad didn't let Himself be bothered by some details or precise explanations about this mission. He had to deal with him.   

Lovely...Why did he even ask? It was perfectly clear! Concise. Detailed!  

How did he have to deal with him, seriously? Lucifer was totally lost. Did he have to kill him? To only neutralize him? How? Why? Should they just talk together? A very bad idea. Really bad. If it wasn't Lucifer who'd start the fight, his brother wouldn't fail to make the first move. Rather the first kick in the ass.  

Lucifer emptied his glass, his tight throat struggled to let the amber liquid pass.  

" Michael is not the composing type. ", Lucifer said categorically in a neutral, surprisingly calm tone. " Now that his little toy has been destroyed, he's going to move. I have to pull the rug out from under him...and strike him first." 

Maze uttered a disdainful exclamation in her master's back, the latter still leaning against the balcony doors.  

" Annihilating a superior demon has nothing to do with the archangel who expelled your pretty butt from Heaven, Lucifer! ", she said.  

" I subscribe...", added Amenadiel in his turn. " You may be the Devil Luci, you're out of Michael's league now." 

Lucifer didn't belie, silently observing the external landscape. He knew all this. It didn't change the situation. Doing nothing wasn't an option. He couldn't stand there without trying anything.  

Chloe's melodious voice rose again into the living room behind him:  

" Why is that? Lucifer and Michael are twins, aren't they? Correct me if I'm wrong but...they're identical in terms of strength, too..."  

" Yes, Chloe. ", admitted his brother. " But at the time of the Rebellion, Lucifer had lost his Divine Blessing from our  ** _F_** ather and had been seriously weakened by the previous fights. The current situation is much more problematic... Lucifer still had his wings at the time. A meager chance to equal Michael. Today, it's no longer the case..." 

Amenadiel was right about that. With his wings, he'd have had a chance. A small chance to stand up against his brother. That was something. Lucifer wasn't demanding. He felt his scars irritate the skin of his back to the evocation of his beloved appendages. He rolled his shoulders with a groan of pain. It was still painful every now and then. He had cut off a part of him that day. It wasn't inconsequential.  

" Your wings! ", Chloe exclaimed. " You told me...that night...My Go-…!" 

" Detective...please...", he warned her without turning.  

" Sorry.", she stopped at the very last moment.  

" He burned them. The most beautiful wings ever made by our  ** _F_** ather...reduced to ashes on that beach! With them, you would have a chance! ", wretchedly complained the feathered moron.  

Lucifer cleared his throat noisily, drawing everyone's attention to him. He turned softly towards them, putting – without looking at them – his empty glass on a table near the balcony. Lucifer put his hands in his pockets while saying in a falsely natural tone:  

" Well...It's funny you should bring that up, Amenadiel..."  

 

** ***** **

 

Lucifer didn't finish his sentence. 

 He watched his brother's face swing gently between sadness, disbelief and wrath. Mazikeen wasn't outdone. By this simple unfinished sentence, Lucifer had succeeded in disrupting their indifference. Especially his brother's. The latter seemed to think quickly, gathering his memories about that night on the beach. Mazikeen seemed lost between hope and humiliation. As for the detective...she tried to apprehend the last elements in her tired mind. Angel's wings, spitfire archangel...That was hardcore. Even for his delicious partner's sharp mind. And especially at such a late hour. Hour when a fluffy bed was highly recommended. To sleep...or else.  

Amenadiel moved forwards Lucifer, his eyes opened wide with surprise and other strong emotions.  

" You burned them...I saw you burning them, Lucifer...", he tried to convince himself.  

Lucifer laughed softly, disturbing more his elder brother.  

" You really have trouble with precision, Am'…", saddened the Devil, shaking his head slightly. " From which are you talking about, brother? The real ones...or  _the fake ones?_  " 

He saw the disbelief increase into his brother's eyes while Lucifer gave him another smirk. Mazikeen let out a gasp. Of surprise...of joy...He had no idea.  

" You're indeed  ** _F_** ather's Fury...certainly not  ** _F_** ather's  _M_ _ind_ _!_ ", the Devil complained again, mocking more his credulity. " Correct me if I'm wrong, but it seems bloody difficult...even impossible... to destroy a divine object with a common cigarette! "  

A heavy silence settled between them again. Amenadiel seemed about to explode. Mazikeen was pressing the leather of the sofa between her fingers, almost tearing the material. Only Chloe was relatively calm and self-controlled facing this news. Intrigued, but not in the least disturbed.  

Lucifer smiled to her as his brother moved towards him again, stopping only a few inches from his face. Lucifer could almost fell his cattle breath against his skin. Disgusting...He didn't go back or move an inch, not scared at all by his eldest brother's threatening posture. He had to face Michael. Being threatened by Amenadiel was like a mouse threatening a bear. Bear facing a huge dragon. 

Lucifer had his pride, but he couldn't denial his enemy's powers. Lying to himself was just as odious as any lie for him.  

" What did you do with them? ", asked the mouse, his jaw clenched with anger.  

Lucifer sighed once more, tired of all this. By all that would follow. He'd have so much wanted to enjoy this evening with Chloe. Alone. Without parasites or gruesome future to analyze. Because Lucifer had already done this. He had thought about this mess over and over again. He wasn't stupid or reckless. He just had everyone believed this. Even before his brother comes here...before Chloe comes to his place...even before leaving the hospital, Lucifer knew what to do.  

He perfectly knew that he wouldn't be out of this dumbass's league. Not without his wings.  

" Lucifer...Where are they? ", asked the detective from the sofa.  

The latter enjoyed the cold breeze which ruffled his back and his bare arms. He had complained of the cold, the humidity. And now...these two things seemed vital to him.  

He didn't want to talk about this. Not this evening. Not immediately. Because he knew exactly what to do and where to go.  

And Lucifer didn't want to go there. Not in the least.  

Talking about this...Revealing the place where he had hidden his wings... would only speed up his departure. He who had made so many sacrifices to never go back there... 

'Time to go home.  

" Hell."  

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

**_To be continued with..._**

**_"_ ** **From Darkness arose the Light _"_ **

****

**________________________________________________________________________________________________________________**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let MANY comments!  
> You can ask questions about the next part of the story, of course!  
> I'll publish it right after "Le Diable n'a jamais peur" which will start again next Monday ;)  
> Thank you so much to read this story until its end ^^ 
> 
> Here is an extract of the next publication XD 
> 
> THE SORROW - Le Diable n'a jamais peur (chapter 10)  
> _________________________  
> Linda didn't reply, too stunned and too worried to say anything. She looked at him for a moment without saying anything, trying to give a valid reason for his behavior. It was Lucifer. And Lucifer was quite stubborn to avoid direct contact with his emotions. In its entirety. He avoided dealing with negative emotions in general. This oversized drinking hid something. Something that made him suffer. That he wished at all costs to bury deep down somewhere.  
> But it wouldn't work.  
> Problems didn't vanish so easily. On the contrary.  
> __________________  
> Bye bye!


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